The Art of Transformation
by siyentista
Summary: Some people need to change so they can be with the one they love... Others need to change into a cat. A YoruSoi fic with manga spoilers until chapter 376.
1. Chapter 1: The Battle

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's Notes:

This is my first multi-chapter fic. Reviews would be much appreciated.

This is a YoruSoi fic but progress will be slow so please be patient.

Manga spoilers until chapter 376. Mostly, but not completely, canon-compliant up to that point.

I'm looking for a beta for the next chapters. I just need opinions on whether people are too out of character or if there's a problem on the progress of the story. I would also like it if someone could check the consistency of my verb tenses. Let me know if you're interested.

Razeluxe7: Hope you like my second piece too. No sealing in this one either.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 1: The Battle

When Kisuke opened the Garganta for the four captains to enter Hueco Mundo, they all knew that Aizen would take advantage of split in manpower and try to take Karakura ahead of schedule. Sending off those captains, two of them heavy hitters and the two others possessing unique abilities that would be valuable during a battle, was a gamble.

If Aizen waited until winter, the Hougyoku would be at full capacity and who knows how many more Vasto Lorde Arrancars he could make and how powerful they would be? With any luck, they would be as retarded as Wonderweiss. But that wouldn't change the fact that Aizen would be unstoppable, even with the entirety of the Gotei 13 and its allies before him.

On the other hand, if they split their forces now, the Hueco Mundo group could at least hope to retrieve Inoue and the initial rescue team while occupying some of Aizen's backup forces. The group defending Karakura would be at a severe disadvantage, but they could at least hope that reinforcements would come and that they could do enough to cripple, if not eliminate, Aizen's main force.

It was a little too much hoping for Yoruichi's taste, but she had agreed that that was the only choice they had.

During the strategic meeting, Yoruichi was assigned the task of accompanying the real Karakura to Soul Society. There she was to call upon her gift in shunpo and her familiarity with the town to quickly inspect the it and eliminate any of Aizen's hidden minions or inform Kisuke of problems pertaining to the his transfer technology. It was a task that could have been assigned to the hundreds of grunts comprising the Gotei 13, but Yoruichi could do it far more quickly and far more effectively, and theirs was a situation that would not tolerate delays or mistakes. Once Yoruichi had secured the town, the grunts would guard it under the command of the Ise-fukutaichou and Sasakibe-fukutaichou, and Yoruichi herself was to join the fake Karakura's meager defenses.

Yoruichi moved faster than she had ever gone and finished quickly. She made short work of two weak Fraccion that had been planted in the real world earlier, but didn't find faults in the transfer of Karakura until Madarame's pillar was damaged. That was a problem they had expected and they were prepared to deal with it. She was more worried about what it implied about the battle taking place in the living world.

When Yoruichi finally made it to the fake town, she took stock of her comrades. It seemed that they had been fighting a losing battle until the Vizards arrived and boy, was she relieved and thankful that they did. 'Maybe we weren't wrong to hope after all,' she had thought. Aizen, Gin, and Tousen looked ready to fight, but any Espada and Fraccion who had come with them had apparently been eliminated.

Yoruichi's heart clenched at seeing Soi Fong missing an arm, battered, and spent, but she took comfort in the fact that her reiatsu was steady, albeit weak. She had obviously pushed herself too far and was now down for the count, but to her credit, Yoruichi didn't see any sign of her opponent either. Yoruichi allowed herself a small smile despite the gravity of the situation. She had not expected any less from her protégé.

Pushing down the urge to tend to the woman she had once likened to a sister, Yoruichi made her way to where the Vizards had surrounded Aizen. They all understood that Aizen must have been extremely powerful to be able to subdue the fierce Espada, but they had hoped that their superior numbers would garner them victory. That might have worked in a fair fight… or in as fair a fight it would be with eight, no nine, people ganging up on Aizen. However, Kyouka Suigetsu was the embodiment of foul play. Aizen used his illusions to make each of them think that they were fighting him and he toyed with them. He could never get hurt because he was never where they thought he was. They, on the other hand, started getting wounds of inexplicable origin as Aizen made his rounds, slashing at his different opponents unseen.

It was a blessing in disguise that Soi Fong was taken out of the battle before Aizen joined in. When Aizen released Kyoka Suigetsu and cast his illusion, he had completely disregarded her, along with the other shinigami who were already engaged in their own battles. The slowly recovering Soi Fong watched, utterly horrified, as Yoruichi and the Vizards started fighting the air in front of them and Aizen picked them off one by one. Had he been an ally, Soi Fong would have thought of how useful Kyouka Suigetsu would be for the Onmitsukidou. But the leader of the Seireitei's assassins looked on disgustedly. He wasn't going for instant kills. The sadist was dealing deep wounds that would kill them, but only after prolonged excruciating pain.

As Aizen began to make his way to Yoruichi, Soi Fong went into a panic, and she screamed in her head, _'NOOOO!'_

She wouldn't be able to pull out Jakuho Raikoben anytime soon, and Suzumebachi seemed unfit for task. She would have to go with her shunko, unpolished as it was. Her body shot straight towards Aizen's back at a breakneck speed and she put a lifetime of devotion and all of the reiatsu she could muster behind the attack. Aizen felt the spike in reiatsu and turned around in time to counter the worst of the attack, but Soi Fong had succeeded in lopping off Aizen's sword arm. As the crackling energy faded from her hand, the illusion broke and Yoruichi suddenly realized that she was staring at stunned and injured Aizen's back.

'_An illusion!' _she realized. She had seen the Vizards getting wounded one by one, but it didn't fit with how the fights were progressing. Now, it made sense.

Someone had managed to break the illusion, and she wouldn't waste their efforts. "Shunko!" she cried, as a large sizzling rod erupted from her hand, lit the skies, and pierced Aizen's heart through his back. Yoruichi was an assassin, and she would not play around needlessly. Aizen died instantly.

Yoruichi's triumphantly gleaming eyes lowered to follow Aizen's plummeting figure and in doing so, Yoruichi realized with much horror that it had been Soi Fong who broke the illusion. Horror, because Soi Fong had Kyouka Suigetsu sticking out of her torso, with Aizen's severed hand still gripping its hilt in rigor mortis. She realized grimly that the injury and reiatsu depletion must have rendered the girl unconscious from where they were fighting, half a mile above ground, and must have fallen the whole way while she killed Aizen. Omaeda must have intercepted at the last minute for he was currently embedded at the base of a tiny crater in the rubble of a building, frantically screaming, "TAICHOU! TAICHOU!" with Soi Fong caught in an unnatural position in his arms.

Suddenly forgetting about everything and everyone else, she flash stepped a few feet away from the Second's top brass and was greeted with the sight of an impaled Soi Fong, her blood drenching her apparently useful lieutenant, and her leg twisted sideways. Yoruichi herself was a picture of perfect health, but she trembled. Oh, how she trembled. She couldn't breathe. Her blood was rushing to her head and beating against her skull.

Dimly, she realized that the way the Vizards had been wounded, she would have been next. The timing with which the illusion had been shattered… _'Soi Fong protected me!'_

Soi Fong often said that she would. "I will serve you with my mind, body, and soul," she said when she first became her personal guard. "I will stay by your side, protecting you," she said that night in the sakura grove. And of course Yoruichi knew that Soi Fong was sincere. She was a loyal and devoted subordinate. Furthermore, because of her lineage, Soi Fong was honor-bound to protect the Shihouin princess with her life. But no matter how many times Soi Fong said it, Yoruichi wasn't prepared when it finally happened.

"Soi Fong…" she whispered desperately, as she reached out for the woman's only hand, willing the woman to blush, to flinch, to show any sign at all that she was well.

It barely registered when Tousen, distracted by Aizen's death, was finally killed by Komamura, or when Gin, outnumbered by the wounded but able defenders, died.


	2. Chapter 2: Aftermath

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 2: Aftermath

Moments after the battles concluded, Kisuke opened a giant senkai gate and the Fourth Division's best healers rushed out to administer first aid to the Vizards and the shinigami in the worst conditions while the less injured defenders were brought back to their headquarters.

The fourth seat happened upon the most heartbreaking scene, bathed in the orange light of the gloriously setting sun. Omaeda-fukutaichou was silent and solemn for once. He was gritting his teeth even as he averted his eyes from the fallen captain still positioned awkwardly in his arms and the distraught woman before them. Yoruichi's now-bleeding right hand was firmly wrapped around the blade just below the hilt where Aizen's hand was. She needed to prevent the sword from plunging deeper, but she refused to touch any part of the dead maniac. She ran the trembling fingers of her left hand slowly and gently down Soi Fong's face. "Soi Fong… Soi Fong… Soi Fong… ," she kept calling patiently in a voice that was so unlike the confident and mischievous person she was. "Please, Soi Fong… ," she said more desperately, though exactly what it was she wanted, she wouldn't say.

"Excuse me," the fourth seat interrupted delicately, "I've come to help."

Yoruichi paused, drew her hand back slowly then and turned to give the woman some space while making sure not to disturb the sword.

The fourth seat spread her palms over Soi Fong's forehead and performed a diagnostic kidou spell. She decided that it was best to go with a placating euphemism, "She is alive but weak. We will need to move quickly if we are to save her." Yoruichi, eyes now filled with hope, nodded determinedly. Omaeda grunted.

"The first thing we would have to do is get rid of that sword," she frowned at Yoruichi's bleeding hand. "I need you to pull it out as quickly and smoothly as you can, then step back so I can stop the bleeding. After that… ," she trailed off, remembering the possessive manner in which Yoruichi was touching Soi Fong's face. "After that, I'll set her bone and Omaeda-fukutaichou will help me get carry her back to the headquarters where we will have the proper facilities to deal with the rest of her injuries."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw. "You can escort us there and stay in the waiting room while we heal her." the fearful fourth seat added quickly. "Look, we don't have much time!" she exclaimed.

Yoruichi furrowed her eyebrows and let out a strangled, "Alright, let's do this on three."

At the first count, Yoruichi breathed in deeply. At the second, she breathed out. By the third count, Yoruichi's frayed nerves were temporarily glued together, and she used the grace of a former captain and Onmitsukidou commander to pull the sword out smoothly even as it cut deeper into her palm. When she let go of the blade, blood flowed out of her hands in place of the tears that threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes.

Everything was a blur to her after that.

She had stubbornly refused treatment to her hands until Soi Fong was in the operating room. When she got back to the waiting room, Omaeda was gone, either receiving treatment or sent home to get rest. There was a written report with a note addressed to her on the table. The fourth seat wisely decided that it wouldn't be healthy to be in the same room as Yoruichi when she found out about the full extent of Second Division captain's injuries.

The report, which contained some input from Omaeda, detailed the minor bruises from the fight with Ggio, the missing arm from the fight with Barragan, the pierced organs due to Kyouka Suigetsu, and the broken ribs, broken leg and internal injuries Soi Fong obtained from her fall. Those were far worse than she had expected. It would take a long time for the captain to recover, the report said.

Yoruichi was tempted to storm Hueco Mundo to retrieve Unohana or Inoue herself. Yoruichi's largely undiminished reiatsu flared and she punched the wall. Right then, Unohana, who had just been debriefed on their successful Hueco Mundo mission, entered the building. The two women stared at each other in surprise through the hole Yoruichi just made.

Yoruichi's eyes went wide at the thought of having angered the kind but surprisingly terrifying leader of the Fourth Division. The healer Yoruichi recognized from the battlefield earlier approached her captain and whispered something in her ear while Unohana kept her eyes on Yoruichi. Finally, Unohana sighed.

"Shihouin-san, take a walk with me," she said calmly.

Agitated and accustomed to speed and constant movement, Yoruichi struggled to keep the slow and calm pace of her companion. Despite the late hour, the courtyard was bustling with activity and Yoruichi felt like she should likewise be doing something.

"Shihouin-san," Unohana addressed her former colleague. "My officer has informed me of Soi Fong-taichou's status. She was in critical condition, but she has been stabilized. The physical injuries are easy to heal. I, myself, will tend to her remaining injuries as soon as we are finished here. Please do not worry."

"But… ," Yoruichi began when Unohana interrupted.

"Shihouin-san," she said softly but sternly, "I know she means a lot to you, but there are many people here who are precious to other people too. My squad will see to their complete recovery… _**all of them**_, and I would appreciate it if you would let them do their jobs without fear of harassment and let our patients recover in peace."

Yoruichi flinched.

With a sigh, Unohana continued more kindly, "We've rescued Inoue-san and she is here in the Seireitei so it will be possible for her to speed up the recovery. But please calm down and don't bother her right now. She is unhurt, but from what I understand, something has had her traumatized. I am sure that she will be happy to help us reconstruct Soi Fong-taichou's arm once she feels better."

Unohana frowned at Yoruichi's bandaged hand and bloodshot eyes. "For now, I think it would be best if you go home and rest. It's late and you deserve it. After all, I've been told that you killed Aizen."

Yoruichi couldn't care less about that tidbit at the moment, but she didn't want to cross the captain and didn't want to keep her from healing Soi Fong. Finally, she murmured in resignation, "I'll… I'll be at the captain's quarters at the Second's barracks. Please let me know as soon as anything changes."


	3. Chapter 3: Realizations

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's notes: Still no beta so I probably missed some typos and inconsistencies. Sorry in advance.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 3: Realizations

On her way to the barracks, Yoruichi passed by Omaeda, sitting on the ground by the doors of the captain's office, staring at his feet with wide but glazed over eyes, looking a little lost.

'_So that's where he was,'_ she thought.

The sixth seat arrived to speak to him. Hearing about their captain, the division was in disarray and they needed their lieutenant to bring back some order to their dawn assembly.

'_Dawn?'_ Yoruichi didn't realize that she had been out that long.

Omaeda seemed to struggle to shake away his thoughts, then stood up slowly and followed the man.

Yoruichi sighed. Being a Shihouin, she had never served under anyone but her own father, and even then she wasn't so much serving as she was being groomed to become the next captain and commander. She knew how to take orders and understood respect, but she had a hard time understanding how and why subordinates became so attached and dependent on their captains.

'_If the oaf that Soi Fong constantly bullies (deservedly, in my opinion) is lost without his captain,'_ she creased her brow, _'what should I expect someone who was treated fondly or with respect?'_

The Fifth's lieutenant, Hinamori, came to mind. The poor girl was utterly destroyed and had a crazed look about her when Yoruichi first met her. But even as she imagined the petite, brown-haired lieutenant, the image morphed into a petite, black-haired woman with two wrapped braids. Yoruichi's eyes widened in horror.

Indeed, her bond with Soi Fong was far deeper than what Aizen had with Hinamori. Hinamori hadn't been Aizen's protégé, and she was certainly not bound to Aizen by noble tradition.

Yoruichi squeezed her eyes tightly and shook her head, willing the image away. She was simply tired and it had been a trying day. She was imagining things.

When Yoruichi opened the door to the captain's quarters, she realized that this was the first time she had stepped into her old living space after she had left a little more than a century ago. The only reason she had opted to stay there now was because she wanted to be close in case there were any developments with Soi Fong.

She could have come earlier, she supposed. After the whole Soukyouku debacle, when Aizen's intentions were finally revealed, she had been exonerated and allowed back into Soul Society. She was perfectly capable of visiting Soi Fong's quarters, but why would she?

Before she went back to Karakura with Ichigo and the others, she aptly enough found Soi Fong in the grove where they used to train. She apologized casually since, by then, Soi Fong already knew why her commander had to leave, knew why she couldn't say goodbye, and surmised by she couldn't take her with her. The apology was a gesture that meant Yoruichi understood that she had hurt her protégé and that she regretted that it had to happen. It wasn't an admission of a mistake.

'_Maybe I really should have done more,'_ she mused.

Soi Fong's pain from being abandoned wasn't about to be washed away by the knowledge of its true cause, but she was so happy that her idol was back and that she turned out to be every bit as admirable as she had originally thought that she readily forgave her. Without much ceremony, they had reverted to their roles of commander and subordinate and, though there was hardly any opportunity for it, master and protector.

'_No opportunity until now,_' Yoruichi thought bitterly.

That major issue resolved, Yoruichi would have been more than welcome to visit the person she had once considered her sister at her quarters. However, she found herself preoccupied with the preparations for the Winter War and only made a few trips to the Seireitei to attend strategic meetings with the captains or to give information to the commander of the Onmitsukidou.

Yes, she met a number of times with Soi Fong, but always in an official capacity. She teased and joked, and sometimes they talked lightly about things that had nothing to do with her original purpose for visiting the office. At some point, their interactions had come to closely resemble their interactions of old, except with Soi Fong holding her chin a little higher, blushing less and scowling more. Still, no matter how friendly they were or how they deviated from the original purpose of the meeting, there was always an original purpose.

As Yoruichi walked through the captain's quarters, she had to admit that she couldn't have picked a better successor. She had always been impressed by her protégé's potential and despite all odds, she had grown into that potential—mastering shikai, obtaining bankai, and discovering shunko. Back in the living world, when she had heard of the appointment from her sources, she'd been extremely proud and happy for Soi Fong.

Yoruichi dragged her fingers along the spartan walls and frowned at how unfamiliar everything was. It wasn't typical for official quarters to change so much even when it had been handed over to a new owner. It seemed Soi Fong had done her best to eliminate all traces of the previous occupant.

It was at that point that Yoruichi finally understood just how difficult it must have been for Soi Fong to become what Yoruichi was. In the face of abandonment, Soi Fong had to bear the mantle of the one that left her—a mantle that would require her to hunt down the person she admired as traitorous trash, a mantle that would place her near painful reminders of her loss from the moment she woke up in her quarters, until she retired for the night. There was no forgetting, but Soi Fong had apparently tried.

Perhaps it was the neutralization of the threat that had occupied her mind and time for a century. Perhaps it was the sudden and unexpected need to spend so much time in meaningful places with meaningful people. Or perhaps it was the threat of losing Soi Fong. Somehow, for some reason, the events of the day made Yoruichi realize that she had grossly underestimated how much she had hurt her subordinate, successor, and friend.

'_No, I had no choice. Now that it's done and I can't change it. All I can do is make it up to her… ,'_and that of course, she didn't even do all these months after they had been reunited.

She curled up on the futon with the heels of her palms pressed against her eyes as the full weight of her actions came crashing down on her.


	4. Chapter 4: Visitors

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's notes: Still no beta so I probably missed some typos and inconsistencies. Sorry in advance.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 4: Visitors

She awoke in the early afternoon to the sound of someone speaking and knocking loudly on her door. '_I must have been more tired than I thought if I slept in that long. _'she mused. She groggily got up, expecting someone from the Second or Fourth Division. When she opened the door, the last people she would have expected were standing in front of her with matching bandages across their torsos.

"Yo, Yoruichi!" one said enthusiastically, while the other smiled apologetically. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"Kyoraku, Ukitake," Yoruichi acknowledged with two nods, "What brings you here? Soi Fong is recovering at the Fourth." Yoruichi eyed their bandages beneath their haoris. "As you should be, as well, it seems," she added.

"Oh, we know, we know," Kyoraku said with a glint in his eye. "You see, we _**were**_ at the Fourth, but while Jyuushiro and I were being carted around by those cute healers, we saw this hole in the wall that we'd never seen before. We asked the tallest one about it and… "

"We came to see how you were doing, Yoruichi," Ukitake simplified.

"Aww, Jyuushiro, you're no fun!" Kyoraku whined.

"My hand's fine." Yoruichi answered, deciding that the quicker they have that information, the quicker they'd leave. She really didn't feel like talking to people right now so the terse answer should hint at her mood, but should still cover the status of her injuries from both, the battle and from punching the wall, whichever they were asking about.

"Good, good. Well, we came all this way anyway, and we brought food too. What do you say? Shall I regale you with the story of how I skillfully defeated the Primera Espada over a meal? Because I did, you know." Kyoraku announced grandly.

Ukitake rolled his eyes at Kyoraku so he generously added, "Oh, Jyuushiro helped a little. Rose and Love, too."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed as she considered it. No one had come with news from the Fourth Division, and the two didn't seem like they would leave her alone. Plus, Yoruichi was beginning to feel the effects of having missed several meals due to the battle and the ensuing events.

The famished woman decided to let the two captains in.

It turned out that the story _**was**_ quite interesting. Yoruichi knew that Katen Kyoukotsu's shikai was a twin blade and thought it was a melee weapon. In all her years as a captain, she had never heard of its moodiness or its perversion of children's games. By the end, the well-fed Yoruichi had forgotten that she was supposed to be worrying and started bantering and trading battle stories with her former colleagues.

Seeing that Yoruichi was in a far better mood than before, Ukitake finally asked, "What about the battle with Aizen, Yoruichi?"

"Oh, that's why you're here," Yoruichi said, irritation creeping into her voice.

"Actually, we came here to cheer you up, and I think we were doing a good job before _**Jyuu-chan**_ here messed up," Kyoraku said, thumbing Ukitake.

"Yoruichi, I understand that it may not be something you want to recall, but it's information that could be critical for Soul Society's safety. Besides, it's unhealthy to keep these things to yourself," Ukitake ignored Kyoraku.

Yoruichi sighed. She really _**was**_ in much better spirits than she would have been if the two had not visited and they _**did**_ bring the food. "Well I guess I _**should**_ pay you back for your story about Stark," Yoruichi said reluctantly.

Ukitake smiled encouragingly while Kyoraku just nodded beneath his straw hat.

"Honestly, there's not much I can say about what really happened. I was under his illusion for most of it," she said before recounting the very short story. "I don't know how, but Soi Fong managed the hard part, even with all of her injuries. I just finished him off," she concluded with not a little bit of self-loathing.

Kyoraku wisely decided to let Ukitake do the talking.

"Yoruichi, Soi Fong-taichou will be okay," Ukitake assured her. "She's a strong woman."

"I know that," Yoruichi responded petulantly.

"Then have faith that she will be strong enough to come back to us," Ukitake told her firmly.

Yoruichi's golden eyes widened briefly but she stayed silent.

Kyoraku smiled at his best friend. He always knew the right thing to say in these situations.

"Thanks, you two," Yoruichi said after awhile.

The three stayed in companionable silence until they heard series of soft knocks.

"Looks like we've been discovered, Shunsui," Ukitake remarked, recognizing the reiatsu floating through the door.

"Ah, it sure is difficult when so many lovely ladies want your company," Kyoraku answered with a nervous chuckle before Yoruichi opened the door to reveal Unohana.

"I thought you two might be here," Unohana said in a motherly tone.

They shuddered as Unohana turned to Yoruichi.

"I tried to get them to go back to the Fourth!" Yoruichi blurted out nervously. She didn't want to have a second offense against the Fourth Division on her head.

The two full grown men pouted.

"Shihouin-san," Unohana said gently, "Soi Fong-taichou is still unconscious but you may see her in the recovery wing."

Yoruichi, Goddess of Flash, was so eager to leave that she tripped over her own feet as she scampered off.

"As for you two… ," Unohana smiled sweetly.

The fierce captains that defeated the Primera Espada cowered before an ally the way they never would before an enemy.


	5. Chapter 5: A Onesided Conversation

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's notes: Still no beta so I probably missed some typos and inconsistencies. Sorry in advance.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 5: A One-sided Conversation

It was late afternoon by the time Yoruichi made it to the Fourth Division.

When she entered Soi Fong's room, she was struck by the soft and serene expression on Soi Fong's face, which was the only part of her body that wasn't bruised or bandaged. Yoruichi chuckled at how embarrassed Soi Fong would feel if she knew that people had seen her with a soft expression.

Then she sobered.

Yoruichi usually wasn't the type to talk to people who could not hear her, and it wasn't in her upbringing and training to speak so freely about her emotions. But she had things to say to Soi Fong—things she didn't think she could say if she knew that the woman could respond.

She pulled up a chair and set beside her unconscious friend.

"Hey, Soi Fong… ," she trailed off, not knowing where to start. _'Just say the first thing that comes to your mind,' _she commanded herself.

"Heh, you look like a mummy." _'Okay, maybe not.'_

She drew a breath through her teeth, gathering herself. "I… I just… I wanted to say I'm sorry," she finally rushed out. "Really, really sorry," she emphasized. "It seems all I'm good for is getting you hurt… ," she finished guiltily.

"You're a strong woman, Soi Fong," she said with conviction. "To move forward after we made that promise and I abandoned you… To take the responsibilities I left… To forgive me so easily for what I've done… I didn't even do anything to make it up to you."

"How could protect someone like that?!" she asked in a burst of emotion. "How could you protect me like that when I've made things so difficult for you and hurt you? I… I don't deserve to be protected," she frowned at the bandaged figure.

"Just… just come back to us, please. I promise I'll be a better friend. I'll make it up to you."

"This time I won't break this promise," she said solemnly.

She stayed quiet for a long time, simply staying by the woman's side.

"You killed Aizen, did you know that?" she brightened a little bit. "I don't know how you did it because I really thought you were out, but you killed the son of a bitch… "

"Well, _**we**_ did, actually," she clarified. "You did the hard part… An arm for an arm, eh?" she said, cringing at her own bad joke. She was glad that Soi Fong couldn't really hear her.

"I swooped in at the last minute, I hope you don't mind," she said though she looked like she, herself, minded.

"I guess we always were a good team," she tried to smile.

"Hey, I discovered that your lieutenant's actually good for something," she brightened a little. "He caught you yesterday… "

"Try not to be so hard on him. I saw him earlier. He respects you and I think he's quite dependent on you."

Yoruichi frowned again when she realized that Soi Fong might have been purposely distancing herself from her subordinates to spare them and herself the pain that she felt at Yoruichi's loss.

'_Could that be it?'_ Yoruichi wondered.

'_Wow, is everything that's wrong in your life my fault?'_ she asked Soi Fong silently, irrationally terrified that the unconscious woman might answer if she asked aloud.

She breathed in shakily.

"I need some sake," she decided.

After Yoruichi left that evening, she proceeded to go drinking with Kyoraku, who had once again escaped from the Fourth Division. He was good company since he already knew about what happened and kept the conversation light. It also helped that he could actually keep up with Yoruichi, who had a ridiculously high metabolism.

At some point, though, even people with high tolerance can have too much. Yoruichi said goodnight to the already passed out captain and made her way out the Eight Division, smashed.

Yoruichi had found a long time ago that it was easier to stumble around drunk if she had four legs and was closer to the ground. This is why the Fourth Division's guards didn't think to tell Yoruichi that visiting hours were over when the black cat meandered onto the grounds. Soon, a ball of black fur curled up on the bed beside Soi Fong and drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Yoruichi woke up with a terrible headache and she thought the day was doomed to be a bad one. When she raised her head, however, she was greeted with Soi Fong's peaceful face bathed in the light of the rising sun. She lost herself at the sight and found herself thinking that anyone would be lucky to wake up next to this amazing woman. Even in cat form and even with a hangover, she managed to smile fondly at the woman beside her.

Yoruichi made her way back to the Second's barracks in a more pleasant mood than when she woke up. However, by the time she got there, the headache was making a comeback and she remembered why she stayed the night at the Fourth Division.

When she became Captain of the Second Division, she transferred the Second's compound to an isolated location that would allow her to keep controlling covert operations. For any person who is drunk or hung over, or otherwise incapacitated, the walk to the Second Division is a long one. An excruciatingly long one.

She sighed for the nth time in three days. Well, at least she can sleep off the hangover before she heads over to Kisuke's to get some belongings. After all, the only clothes she had with her were still at the Eighth somewhere, and it looked like she would be staying in Soul Society for a while.

* * *

Next chapter: Awakening


	6. Chapter 6: Awakening

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's notes:

Thanks for the reviews! Glad some people are enjoying the story. Keep it coming! =)

My apologies for the short chapters. I'm a newbie at this and as my name suggests, I actually am a scientist. That basically means that I tend to be concise, though I'm hoping to develop the ability to write longer for future pieces. For now, I hope you don't mind too much. At the very least, I will put out multiple chapters at a time so you have a little more to read.

I'd really like it if there was someone I could bounce ideas off of. I'm a little stuck at chapter 11 right now, and I can't publish what I've already written until I'm sure that it goes well with the rest of the story.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 6: Awakening

Three days from the battle with Aizen, the fourth seat was just about to check on Soi Fong when the captain groaned and crinkled her face. The fourth seat nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected sound.

She hurriedly performed the diagnostic kidou spell with her palms suspended over her patient. Soi Fong swallowed. She furrowed her eyebrows and struggled to clear the cobwebs in her head. Finally, after a teary yawn, she opened her eyes blearily.

"Urgh. Where am I?" she grated confusedly.

"Fourth Division, Taichou," the fourth seat replied.

Now it was Soi Fong's turn to get startled. It hadn't registered that there was someone else in the room.

"You were injured in the battle against Aizen and the Arrancar… It's been three days, Taichou," the healer explained as she put a glass of water to the captain's lips.

Soi Fong vaguely recalled the battle. She was low on reiatsu… Aizen was toying with the Vizards and… _'Yoruichi-sama was in danger!'_ Her eyes widened. "Yoruichi-sama! Is she okay? Was she hurt?" she asked frantically as she tried to get up. The attempt at movement almost made the healer spill the water. Soi Fong, on the other hand, hissed in pain when every one of her healing injuries decided to make themselves known.

Soi Fong noticed belatedly that she was a giant roll of bandages. She scowled.

The fourth seat thought of the Sou-taichou's announcement of their victory and she recalled what she witnessed in the direct aftermath of the battle. "Shihouin-dono is completely uninjured from the battle, Taichou. She managed to kill the traitor, Aizen. The battle has been won."

Soi Fong's jaw slackened. "We… won? We… won. Ha! We won!" Soi Fong exclaimed ecstatically. She had a big and genuine smile on her face, "And Yoruichi-sama is safe, you say?"

The fourth seat, used to the odd behaviors surrounding disease, injury, death, and recovery wasn't fazed by the uncharacteristic show of… pleasant… emotions from the captain of the Second Division. "Yes, and Shihouin-dono has been visiting you. So has your lieutenant and some of the other captains. I'm sure Unohana-taichou will take care of informing them that you have awakened."

Soi Fong leaned her head back with a satisfied smile. "That's good," she said softly, really only referring to the fact that Yoruichi was unharmed.

"Taichou, I will let Unohana-taichou know that you have regained consciousness. I'll come back with more pain medication."

Soi Fong gave her a small nod of appreciation before she was left to her thoughts.

'_So we won the battle, huh? What happened after I lost consciousness?' _She would definitely ask Unohana if she knew.

Soi Fong cringed when she thought of just where she was when she lost consciousness. In the air. High, high above the ground. _'No wonder I look like a mummy,'_ she said to herself, unwittingly repeating Yoruichi's thoughts from earlier. She was surprised that she was even alive.

Soi Fong wondered if she should be alarmed that she thought so lightly of death. Perhaps it was because she had resigned herself to it when she set off after Aizen?

Part of her thought that it may have been because she had finally protected Yoruichi-sama with her life like she promised, and she did it against the vilest of enemies with a technique that only she and her mentor knew.

There was a contentment that came with finally serving the purpose she had been trained for since her youth. There was satisfaction to be found in finally proving her strength and worthiness to stand side by side with Yoruichi-sama.

Perhaps there was also a comfort in knowing that Yoruichi-sama was not, in fact, a goddess. She was vulnerable to Aizen. She was in danger. She had needed Soi Fong.

As Soi Fong closed her eyes sleepily, she somehow felt like life was going to be different.

***

She awakened to a ruckus and opened her eyes just in time to see Yoruichi scrambling to the room hurriedly against the wishes of the Fourth Division healers. Yoruichi froze by the door, one hand still hanging on to the door frame from when she made a sharp turn. Two golden eyes stared intensely. Soi Fong stared back, slightly puzzled and embarrassed by the attention.

"Soi Fong!" Yoruichi shouted elatedly, having confirmed with her own eyes that her friend was awake. She grinned widely as she walked quickly to Soi Fong's side. She felt like hugging the woman tightly, but caught herself before she could aggravate the injuries.

Soi Fong was wearing a genuine smile as well. "Yoruichi-sama," she greeted, "you are safe."

Yoruichi crossed her arms and stood indignantly. "Of course I am!"

Soi Fong was about to apologize for offending Yoruichi, when she broke into a teasing grin. "How could I not be when you pulled that little suicide stunt of yours?"

Soi Fong was torn between being proud or apologetic, so she settled for being happy. Yoruichi, on the other hand, began describing the battle in a more colorful and playful manner than she had with the senior captains the day after the battle. Her unheard words from the previous day remained unheard.

"You did well, Soi Fong," she commended. "Aizen was a tough one so what you did was kinda justified. But if you ever get it in your head to risk your life for my sake again, I'll kill you myself, got it?" Yoruichi threatened while pointing at Soi Fong.

"Uh… sure?" Soi Fong answered uncertainly.

"Thank you, Soi Fong," Yoruichi said in a much softer tone after some time.

'_Yes, being happy would do just fine,'_ Soi Fong thought.


	7. Chapter 7: Improvements

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

**The Art of Transformation**

by siyentista

Chapter 7: Improvements

After Yoruichi finished her visit, Unohana told Soi Fong that recovery will be extraordinarily slow because she didn't have enough reiatsu to help the healing along. Usually, she said, the Fourth Division could just administer the pills that the Division members themselves use to replenish their energy. Unfortunately, when they were treating her, Soi Fong wasn't just low on reiatsu. She had exhausted it almost completely and seemed to have expelled the last of it so violently that it was dangerous to build up her stores artificially.

They had placed a temporary seal on Soi Fong to direct her reiatsu to her internal organs, making sure that her meager reiatsu got to the most critical injuries. In another day, Soi Fong could be released from the Fourth. The problem was that Soi Fong's reiatsu was also needed to make the effects of the bone-setting kidou permanent. Indeed, if she wanted, she could leave the Fourth soon, but she would need to keep off her leg and not strain her ribs until she had enough reiatsu to bond the bones completely. That would take another week or so. Of course, without her left arm, there was no way that she could manage to stay at home alone.

"This sucks," Soi Fong muttered darkly while she lay on the bed.

She had just been conscious for a day and a night and already, boredom was gnawing at her. She almost wished that Omaeda would bring over some paperwork so she had something to do. For sure, with the events of the last week, there were a lot of things that needed to be reviewed and reported. Unfortunately, the buffoon picked this time to actually act like a responsible lieutenant. _'Maybe Yoruichi wasn't kidding about him after all,' _she mused.

'_A whole week… No, a week or so… '_

What would she do? There were only so many tiles that she could count on the ceiling.

At that moment, Yoruichi barged into the room and loudly and cheerfully asked, "Ready to go, Soi Fong?"

Apparently, when she had been informed of Soi Fong's status, she instantly volunteered to take care of Soi Fong at her quarters until her bones were healed.

"That's where I've been staying anyway," the woman explained casually as if she hadn't just been trespassing for the last four days and as if she hadn't just invited herself to Soi Fong's home for another week.

Soi Fong looked at her incredulously, though she had to concede that it was just like Yoruichi to disregard the rules of social conduct—the ones that said a master doesn't tend to the servant, and the ones that pertained to respecting another's privacy and property.

'This is going to be a very… interesting week.' Soi Fong predicted.

***

Soi Fong had reservations about Yoruichi's plan. It wasn't that Yoruichi wasn't welcome in her home. Soi Fong might have thought her a little more reachable than before, but she was high enough that Soi Fong would still let her have most everything she wanted. If anything, Soi Fong didn't want to hassle her and she was a little worried about how to act around the woman who was suddenly paying her so much attention. She supposed that she should be happy for the attention, but she didn't want Yoruichi to spend time with her as a charity or out of guilt.

"Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fong tried to discuss the matter with her companion as she was pushing her along in a wheelchair.

"Now, Soi Fong, don't you think you can drop the –sama by now? After all, you've saved my life, right?"

"Uhh… "

'_That was unexpected,'_ Soi Fong thought. It was the first time that Yoruichi had complained about the honorific in more than a century.

"It's such a cumbersome name. I'm sure you don't want to say it and I don't want to hear it all week."

"Umm… "

'_Perhaps it _**is**_ time to drop that habit.'_

"You have my old job. I'm an exonerated criminal. I don't see why you shouldn't…"

"Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fong scolded her reflexively for the self-deprecation.

Yoruichi stopped walking, quirked an eyebrow and bent down to face Soi Fong in the wheelchair.

"Hmmm?"

"Uhh, Yoruichi… ," Soi Fong corrected slowly, making a conscious effort to stop the honorific from rolling out, "please don't speak of yourself like that."

"Okay, Soi," Yoruichi answered nonchalantly as she straightened out and continued walking.

'… … _Soi… ?' _

It seemed Yoruichi found her name cumbersome too. With a breath and a tiny smile, Soi Fong decided not to correct her former commander.


	8. Chapter 8: It's good to be a cat

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Thanks for all of the reviews. I really appreciate it. Special thanks to Bishimimou for the helpful comments on the draft.

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 8: It's good to be a cat.

Yoruichi lay in an absurdly large bed in an excessively large room that she hadn't slept in more than a hundred years. She thought about how she didn't particularly like being a noble. _'They give you all this space to so you forget that you're trapped.'_

Still, being a noble had its good points. '_Well,'_ she clarified her thought with a little laugh, _'I'm not so sure about the Kuchiki, but being a Shihouin has its good points.' _

After Soi Fong had healed, Yoruichi decided to go back to the Shihouin Manor where she was welcomed with open arms as hero of Soul Society and rightful head of the clan. By a law unique to her clan, Yoruichi knew that she technically couldn't have been removed from her position despite having been labeled a traitor and disappearing for so long, but it still came as a surprise to her that they never even tried to replace her as head.

"The ability to transform is the gift of the Tenshi Heisouban," they had reasoned cryptically, but Yoruichi knew all too well what they meant. Of the Four Great Noble Houses, the Shihouin, who were in charge of the stealth forces, were appropriately blessed with the ability to transform into a creature of stealth. Not all of them, just the head and the rightful heir. The ability was like a mandate of heaven. It was typically passed on through a strong line within the clan until the line died out or a head had messed up so badly that the gods withdrew their favor. While either case might have led to power struggles in other clans, the Shihouin had a failsafe. The gods would always grant a new clan member with the ability to transform, and their mandate would never be questioned.

The nature of the transformation varied with each person. While it was always a form that would be useful for the stealth or scouting duties of the clan, the specific type of animal depended on the personality and attributes of the shape-shifter. For millennia, the heads of the clan had turned into proud hawks, vivacious sparrows, and other such flying creatures that explained the clan's acquisition of various flight artifacts. Yoruichi, who was carefree, playful, laid back, and lacked the loftiness of her predecessors, turned into a land animal: a cat.

It had been centuries since Yoruichi learned the texts on the Art of Transformation, but even in her years away from the clan, she found it hard to forget about them. In the face of difficulties and in the face of her own doubts, she assured herself by constantly transforming into a cat. If the gods still believed in her, then she was doing something right, and she could keep going.

Towards the end of her self-exile, when it became obvious that Aizen's insidious plans were taking shape and the only way to stop him was to storm the Seireitei, she remained steadfast only because she had stayed exclusively in cat form.

Back in Soul Society, it appeared that the council of elders had ruled in her stead, while everything about her original position had been preserved respectfully, even fondly. If no one else had gained the ability to transform, then they had to believe that their leader was alive and that her absence was well-intentioned and born of necessity. While it was unfortunate that Central 46 could not put so much faith in the Shihouin's ancient beliefs with the staggering physical evidence against Kisuke and herself, it meant a lot to Yoruichi that her family had believed in her innocence from the start. She didn't think she could take another emotional roller coaster ride like she had with Soi Fong.

Having thought that, Yoruichi smiled at the memory of the last week with Soi Fong.

It had passed much quicker than the two women had expected. Although there was some awkwardness on the first day because of Soi Fong's missing arm, the rest of the week had actually gone well. They probably had Inoue to thank for that. She had come by to restore Soi Fong's left arm on the second day and the incident from the first day was not repeated.

Yoruichi was pleased. During the week, Soi Fong recovered nicely, and so did their friendship.

It was true that Yoruichi and Soi Fong had a long history together. But a century of this history was devoid of any actual interaction between the two. There were enough things that hadn't changed between them, so with a little adjustment, they were essentially able to pick up where they left off. But Yoruichi realized that that flimsy familiarity was not really friendship but a refusal to let go of the past. After all, no one can remain the same person after a hundred years and people can't truly be friends without knowing each other.

Well, there was an easy way to fix that.

During the week, Yoruichi had shared stories about her time in the living world. Soi Fong responded amiably and shared stories of her own. Apparently, rescuing Yoruichi, dropping the honorific from her name, and spending so much time together outside the context of work had done wonders for their interaction. Soi Fong was still deferential and amusingly easy to tease. Somehow Yoruichi didn't think that would ever change. Thankfully though, Soi Fong had also become a little less shy and had opened up a little more.

While they were getting reacquainted properly, they shared stories that came dangerously close to clawing at their emotional scabs and scars, like Soi Fong's Captaincy Exam and how she mastered her zanpakutou with Yoruichi's death in mind. For those stories, the women had simplified or glazed over details to protect their fledgling friendship. Yoruichi hoped that one day they would be able to tell the stories completely and confidently.

While reminiscing, Yoruichi tossed around her bed repeatedly. The expensive bed and the luxurious sheets didn't feel right. Perhaps her long absence had made her so unaccustomed to extravagance and comfort? She frowned.

When she became the Captain of the Second, the clan had brought a similarly luxurious, if a little smaller, bed to her quarters at the barracks. While in Soul Society, she was never left wanting.

Soi Fong's practically redesigned quarters had a bed which was a tight fit for two people, as well as a plain couch. When it was time to decide on sleeping arrangements, Soi Fong had played the gracious host and had offered to stay on the couch while Yoruichi took the bed. Unexpectedly, Yoruichi had pointed out that it was important for her to be close to her charge in case Soi Fong ever needed anything. Soi Fong had insisted that she would be fine alone on the couch; Yoruichi hadn't listened. In the end, it was decided that Yoruichi would sleep in cat form beside Soi Fong like she did that one time at the Fourth. Or rather, Yoruichi decided and Soi Fong let her do what she wanted.

It turned out that with her one arm mobile and unbandaged, Soi Fong had this odd tendency to pet the cat in her sleep. Yoruichi had been shocked the first time it happened. She hated being petted, especially when Kisuke was hamming things up for passersby. There was something distinctly condescending about it, though she knew Kisuke didn't really mean it.

Soi Fong had done it differently. Her hand had settled on one position on Yoruichi's back she had simply let her fingers run through the fur with a tenderness rarely seen when she was awake. She had done it slowly, as if to savor the softness against her fingertips, and she had ended each stroke almost possessively, clutching the fur loosely in her palm.

Yoruichi fought the blush that threatened to form when she thought of how she reacted. Much to her embarrassment, she had purred.

'_I can't help it when I'm a cat,' _she thought defensively.

Yoruichi was supremely thankful that Soi Fong had not awakened. By morning, Soi Fong had repositioned herself entirely and had no idea what happened during the night. Yoruichi didn't think to bring it up.

The second night, after Inoue had restored Soi Fong's left arm, Yoruichi had prepared herself for the involuntary action. However, she was caught off guard once again when the now-two-armed unconscious woman scooped her into her left arm the way one would hug a pillow and pet her with her right hand like the night before. This time, Yoruichi meowed loudly in surprise at being grabbed, then purred again when she was being petted.

"That was even more embarrassing," Yoruichi told her empty room, and the last word bounced against the walls to taunt her.

Yoruichi had stayed in a different position every night to avoid being caught. She had stopped minding the petting, but she was afraid that Soi Fong would wake up and awkwardness would ensue. It was the last thing Yoruichi needed while she was trying to patch up their relationship. Of course, Yoruichi's strategy never worked and Soi Fong always, always homed in on her, no matter where she was on the bed. Fortunately, the weakened Soi Fong had turned out to be a heavy sleeper and never realized what she was doing either.

Yoruichi sniggered at the memory. _'I swear that woman uses reiatsu sensing skills in her sleep.'_

She didn't realize that she had guessed quite right: Soi Fong _**was**_ instinctively drawn to Yoruichi's reiatsu. Nor did she realize that she was quite wrong about why she couldn't sleep: she liked that Soi Fong was drawn to her reiatsu.


	9. Chapter 9: Ebb and Flow

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just wanted to remind people that I usually update with multiple chapters at a time. Make sure you're not skipping any chapters!

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 9: Ebb and Flow

It was dawn when Soi Fong punched the air lightly with her left arm. She shook her previously broken leg. She bent her waist this way and that way. It was a little test of how well her injuries had healed from the battle.

'_No more pain,'_ came the satisfied verdict.

Unohana had proclaimed her well enough to resume her duties, although she was supposed to ease off the physical activities for a little while longer. Yoruichi had taken this to mean that it was time for her to go. Soi Fong was just glad that her friend had generously stayed the entire week with her. At least this time, she had expected it and Yoruichi had gone with some sort of preamble. More importantly, she knew that this time, she would come back.

Soi Fong shifted her weight as she looked out her window and gazed upon the edges of the Second Division's sakura grove. She felt light. Not physically, for she had been expertly cared for during her recovery, but emotionally. The feeling had grown more and more prominent as the past week wore on, but if she had to pinpoint where it all began, it was when she was first told about the battle's outcome.

She could tell why that had been the starting point. She had protected Yoruichi. Together, they had defeated Aizen. The rest of the week was so agonizingly ordinary that the continuous ebb of burden should have been a surprise, and yet with Yoruichi, nothing was truly ever ordinary. After all, she was a goddess…

'_No, not a goddess. Just an incredibly remarkable woman,' _she reminded herself.

Soi Fong had always admired the woman, regarded her with respect and deep affection. Even now, she would do anything for her. She found herself pondering Yoruichi's strength and beauty, and the conjured feeling of devotion was so overwhelmingly familiar that she had to look upon her haori and recall its absence on Yoruichi to convince herself that things were no longer the same.

She hated to admit it, but something Aizen said actually made sense: admiration was the farthest thing from understanding. Yoruichi was never as antisocial as she was, but as one would expect from a person of her upbringing, stature, and responsibility, she kept her emotions well-guarded and her thoughts indecipherable. Despite the time they had spent together and despite the heartfelt moment they had had at the grove she was currently viewing, Soi Fong never fully understood her. The past week, Yoruichi had generously taken her shield down, leaving only the thinnest of defenses in place. She had been so surprisingly candid in speaking her thoughts and talking about her time away that the normally reticent Soi Fong felt it was only fair to return the gesture.

Poor Hinamori would never… should never… understand the man she once admired. But Soi Fong was lucky that she had had the week to unravel the mystery of the Princess of the Tenshi Heisouban. She hoped to be given the privilege to continue as Yoruichi's friend. She dared not hope for more.

"Taichou!" Omaeda called from behind the door as he pounded on it heavily, as was his usual manner. Evidently, whatever solemnity or seriousness he displayed in the face of Soi Fong's incapacity had vanished.

Within her office, Soi Fong breathed deeply to stomp down the growing annoyance. It was the least she could do if the man had helped save her life and if he actually tried to do his job while she was away.

"What is it, Omaeda?" Soi Fong prompted commandingly.

"Taichou, here's the paperwork from the last two weeks," he said as he placed a tall pile on the edge of her desk and went back outside to get the second pile.

"You did all that?" Soi Fong was pleasantly surprised.

Omaeda who was just coming back in and was hidden behind the other pile didn't hear.

"I took the liberty to organize them into 'urgent' and 'not so urgent' so that you would have an easier time when you got back," he stated proudly, putting the rest of the apparently uncompleted paperwork on Soi Fong's desk.

'_If there were urgent things in there, then why didn't you just do it or give them to me?'_

A vein started pulsing on Soi Fong's right temple.

'_Remember, he caught you from that fall,'_ her conscience argued.

"… … Thanks… ," she forced out.

"Have the troops assembled for training today?" she tried, hoping to find something to quell her anger.

"I told them to assemble for training tomorrow," Omaede answered confidently.

The vein grew to compensate for his denseness.

"Why did you to tell them that? The Division assembles everyday."

"Oh, they didn't seem to be doing well without you so last week, I told them to take the training time off," Omaeda explained matter-of-factly, too absorbed in himself to see the vein fighting for his attention.

"Meanwhile, you organized the paperwork?" the captain confirmed.

"That's right! Oh, I might have spilled some food on the papers. I can help you read them if they're smudged," Omaeda offered.

'_That's all he did while I was recovering? Organizing papers and eating???'_

Soi Fong growled.

"OMAEDAAAAAA!!!" the woman screamed furiously.

If Yoruichi had been there, she would have taken comfort in knowing that in fact, not everything that was wrong in Soi Fong's life was her fault.


	10. Chapter 10: The Dream

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just wanted to remind people that I usually update with multiple chapters at a time. Make sure you're not skipping any chapters!

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 10: The Dream

Yoruichi woke up breathlessly, the last image of her dream lingering in her head. Dark fingers upon light skin. Soi Fong's bare back, tensing then relaxing.

Wide-eyed, Yoruichi steepled her hands shakily as if trying to recreate the feel of skin on skin.

Yoruichi knew that it wasn't so much a dream as a memory that seemed to be haunting her in her sleep. It was the memory of that awkward moment that on her first day at the captain's quarters with Soi Fong.

***

"_I really need to take a bath," Soi Fong remarked to herself when they arrived at her quarters from the Fourth Division._

"_One bath coming right up," Yoruichi responded._

"_Oh, I didn't mean… "_

"_Oh, come on, Soi, that's why I'm here, right?" Yoruichi said matter-of-factly._

"_I… guess?" _

"_Stay here." Yoruichi ordered._

_Soi Fong glared at Yoruichi. "As if I have a choice," the invalid mumbled._

_Yoruichi cackled all the way to the bathroom._

_When the bath was ready, Yoruichi lifted Soi Fong and effortlessly helped her into the water. Yoruichi let her keep white robe from the Fourth to help her stay comfortable and placed some towels by the tub._

"_You sure you can do this with one arm?" Yoruichi asked before she left._

"_I'm sure I'll manage," Soi Fong rolled her eyes even a blush grew on her cheeks._

_An hour after Soi Fong had begun bathing, Yoruichi yelled through the door "Oi, you okay in there?" She was getting a little worried by how long it was taking and she thought she had heard a frustrated cry. "I know you're injured and all so it _**should**_ take a little longer, but this is getting ridi… cu…. lous… ," Yoruichi trailed off. _

_She had opened the door to the bathroom to finally check on Soi Fong and was met with a drenched woman in soaked robes glaring at the bandages swimming and tangling around her. Yoruichi got the word right. It _**was**_ ridiculous. _

_Soi Fong had indeed managed to remove the bandages on her torso and leg—the only ones that remained from the original batch that covered her entire body. She had also managed to unbraid and wash her hair, as well as clean herself. _

_The trickiest part about taking the bath was, of course, putting all of those back, and the woman was too proud and stubborn to get help from Yoruichi. Obviously, all her attempts at wrapping new bandages around herself and keeping them dry had failed fantastically. _

_Yoruichi started laughing hysterically, all the while trying to scold the woman for her stubbornness and pride. Soi Fong was so frustrated that she couldn't even muster up the embarrassment to blush. She simply crossed her arms and scowled at the water petulantly while Yoruichi laughed even harder._

"_Hahaha… haha…ha… haha… " Yoruichi breathed in deeply. "Alright, I'm done," she declared as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She shook her head. "Ah, Soi, whatever am I going to do with you?" she asked, laughter still evident in her voice._

_Yoruichi helped Soi Fong to the edge of the tub and handed her the towels and left so she could dry herself. When she came back, Soi Fong had a towel on her lap and another clutched to her chest, ready for bandaging. _

"_I don't know why you're so shy, Soi. I wouldn't have a problem with it."_

"_Of course, you wouldn't," she retorted sourly. Indeed, Yoruichi was notorious for flaunting her body._

_Soi Fong pouted but she did turn to make her bare back more accessible to Yoruichi. _

_Yoruichi took a fresh roll of bandages and began wrapping it around Soi Fong's torso, her fingers holding the end lightly against Soi Fong's warm side and her other hand snaking around Soi Fong beneath the towel. _

_Yoruichi could see the trained muscles of Soi Fong's back tense underneath her slightly bruised porcelain skin. Yoruichi stopped. She gently put her hand on the space where Soi Fong's shoulder met her neck. It felt pleasant against her hand._

"_Relax, Soi. It's just me."_

_Soi Fong closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly forced her muscles to relax. _

_***_

The next day, Inoue had restored Soi Fong's arm, and for the rest of the week, the stubborn woman had insisted on bandaging herself. Unfortunately, that one time was all it took to get the images branded into Yoruichi's memory.

Now that she had had time to herself, she realized with a start why Soi Fong had felt so warm against her fingers. It was because the blood had retreated from her limbs and into her chest and ears where it pounded much too loudly. Her limbs had been left cold and wobbly like jelly.

Yoruichi didn't understand it. Since her return to Soul Society, she had seen Soi Fong in her backless Onmitsukidou uniform multiple times. The sight had never invoked the same reaction.

Then again, all those times, the skin of Soi Fong's back was never so close and never, ever under her fingertips…

A chill ran down her spine.

"Oh, gods… ," Yoruichi whispered, breaking the screaming silence.


	11. Chapter 11: Bothered

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just wanted to remind people that I usually update with multiple chapters at a time. Make sure you're not skipping any chapters!

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 11: Bothered

On her first few days back as head of the clan, Yoruichi went from meeting to meeting and worked on piles upon piles of paperwork. Yoruichi was tired but she couldn't complain. She had no contact with the clan for a century so it was to be expected there would be a lot to catch up on.

However, there was another reason that Yoruichi was exhausted: she wasn't sleeping well. Every night was like the first one she spent at the Manor. She had a hard time settling down, and when she finally did, she would have that… dream… or she would imagine various other configurations for dark against light, including pale hands in black fur.

Since she was having a hard time sleeping anyway, she began working later and later until, by the end of the week, she had finally caught up with her duties.

Rather than make another doomed attempt to sleep, Yoruichi decided to visit the one who had been plaguing her mind. _'Just to see how she's doing,'_ she said to herself.

She stopped short of the Second Division to calm herself down. She must not betray her thoughts of the past week. Not until she was sure, and not until she knew the best way to deal with it.

Unfortunately, if calming down was truly her goal, she had picked a terrible spot to do it. Yoruichi was now on the roof of a building where she had a full view of the subject of her thoughts.

Soi Fong stood with an air of authority above her troops, her arms crossed, her fine features in a stern expression. She looked every bit as powerful as she was despite her diminutive figure. Yoruichi guessed that Unohana had allowed her to train already, since she was in her combat uniform.

Breathing deeply, Yoruichi decided to take the plunge. _'Here we go…'_

She arrived beside Soi Fong a second later, shocking Omaeda off the platform from which they were directing the exercises. The two women ignored their fallen comrade.

"Yoruichi," Soi Fong smirked, "I was wondering when you were going to talk to me."

Yoruichi's face remained placid even as she began to panic. Did Soi Fong somehow know that she was thinking about her?

"So, are the men up to your standards, _**Gundanchou Kakka**_?" Soi Fong teased. "I saw you watching them a while ago."

'_Ah, thank the gods that's all she's talking about.'_ Yoruichi thought in relief.

"They're looking a little soft to me," Yoruichi chided in jest.

Soi Fong looked annoyed. "I know. They missed a lot of training while I was away and now, I've got to whip them back into shape." She continued to mutter under her breath about useless lieutenants.

Yoruichi grinned. "I take it it's been a difficult week?"

"Busy, yes. A lot to catch up on. I imagine it's the same for you, reclaiming your position and all."

"So you've heard."

"Yes. It would be shameful if I didn't," she said, knowing Yoruichi would understand her reference to her positions as Head of the Fong clan and Commander of the Onmitsukidou.

"Congratulations," Soi Fong finished.

"Yeah, well, I figured I should stick around in Soul Society and I just needed a place to stay so…," Yoruichi exaggerated a shrug.

Soi Fong chuckled at her antics. "Then perhaps I shouldn't take much more of your time, Shihouin-dono. After all, you must earn you keep."

"Hey, now. I've been working all week. I've earned my keep!" Yoruichi declared proudly. "I'm sure you've been working hard too. We should do something, take a break," she continued.

Yoruichi didn't really intend to have more than a little visit originally, but she was enjoying her time with Soi Fong.

"Ah, I'd like that, but as you've said, my men have gone soft. I have work to do."

Yoruichi almost frowned at having her earlier joke thrown back at her. "Then have Omaeda train them for a little while."

Soi Fong's face crumpled in disgust, thinking that this was his fault in the first place.

"My lieutenant isn't as reliable as yours was, Yoruichi. Unless I get incapacitated again, I doubt I'll have much free time." she sighed.

Yoruichi knew she was right. Soi Fong was a Captain of the Gotei 13, as well as Commander of the Onmitsukidou, and she did her job without much help. Furthermore, she was the head of her clan. Soi Fong _**wouldn't**_ have much time to spend with her, and that really bothered her.

She could feel the panic bubbling within her once again, telling her that if it bothered her so much, then she should do something about it. In her fatigue, she was inclined to agree.

"Uhhh… I have something important to discuss with you!" she blurted out. Almost instantly, she cursed herself for not even coming up with a real idea before speaking.

'_Well, of course, Yoruichi had to have a reason for dropping by.' _Soi Fong berated herself for not inquiring about the purpose of the visit earlier.

"We… ahhh… the… ," Yoruichi was grasping at straws.

Soi Fong looked at Yoruichi curiously since it wasn't like her to be at a loss for words.

Yoruichi looked around for something to say. Unbidden, her eyes lingered on Soi Fong's backless Onmitsukidou uniform. It made her remember the dream that had been haunting her. She gulped.

Soi Fong followed her line of vision and looked at her uniform before looking back at Yoruichi oddly.

'_No! This was exactly what I was trying to prevent,' _Yoruichi screamed inwardly. And yet the uniform had given Yoruichi an idea.

"Shunko!" Yoruichi yelled, proud of herself for thinking of the best thing to say to get out of this mess.

She had said it so suddenly and so loudly that Soi Fong jumped and half expected Yoruichi to perform the technique.

"What?!"

"Ah, about the fight with Aizen. You told me you used shunko."

"Yes. I don't see where this is…"

"Do you remember when I told you that your shunko needs work? Do you think the fight would have gone better for you if you had more control?"

"I didn't have much reiatsu left so I don't think it would have mattered," Soi Fong said, with her forehead creased.

"Oh," Yoruichi said defeatedly.

"But of course more control is always good."

"Of course!" Yoruichi agreed eagerly, clearly appreciating the opening she had been given.

Soi Fong was baffled by Yoruichi's behavior. She noted the dark circles around her eyes. _'Ah, the work as clan head must be taking a toll on her. Normally, things like this wouldn't be problem, but she hasn't done any paperwork in more than a century.'_

"I'll train you to control it!"

"Huh?" She was pulled back from her musings.

"I've been using shunko for at least a century. I haven't perfected it, but I can help you get better… That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Soi Fong was surprised by the implied offer, but she didn't have to think twice about it. "It would be an honor to train with you again, Yoruichi," she said with a genuine smile and the slightest of blushes.

'_Nice save.' _Yoruichi congratulated herself.


	12. Chapter 12: Attempts

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just wanted to remind people that I usually update with multiple chapters at a time. Make sure you're not skipping any chapters!

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 12: Attempts

Yoruichi watched as Soi Fong spun while quickly shooting eight successive shunko blasts of alternating strengths, briefly making her look like the a silver sun. As the air cleared, Soi Fong stood in a crater with eight massive trenches extending away from her. Without pausing to inspect the spider she had sculpted from the ground, she jumped into the next sequence of blasts that Yoruichi had demonstrated to her.

It was grace and force. It was light and smoke. It was the purity of energy and the grimness of destruction. Yoruichi was entranced.

She was patting herself on the back for designing the Onmitsukidou uniform. _'No, not because it's backless!' _she claimed defensively. She was simply glad that she had accidentally stared at Soi Fong's Onmituskidou uniform and blurted out "shunko". It felt nice to train with Soi Fong again, and this way, she got to spend time with her friend despite her busy schedule.

She snapped out of her stupor in time to notice that the energy Soi Fong was gathering was too wild for the tri-pronged blast she was attempting. She gasped.

She flashed down to Soi Fong and nullified the attack much like she had when they were first reunited.

"The energy was too wild, Soi. I think that's it for today. We'll try this again next time."

Soi Fong sighed in frustration while she tried to catch her breath. She had been trying that last bit for several sessions now, and she could never get the energy right.

Yoruichi thought it was a little funny how so much had changed, and yet Soi Fong was still so hard on herself.

"Hey, Soi, wanna relax at the Manor before you get to your Division? I can have them make some food if you're hungry. I know! We'll have them make fish! That's your favorite, right?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose on you even more. You're already training me. Besides, there's an appointment I have to keep."

"You say that every week," Yoruichi complained suspiciously. She had been trying to spend time with Soi Fong after their training sessions for weeks now, and every single time, she had been turned down.

"It's true every week," Soi Fong returned, but she looked disappointed, herself.

"Hmmm, maybe I'll catch you later then," Yoruichi said, pretending to be unaffected.

"That would be nice," Soi Fong replied.

Inwardly, Yoruichi was beginning to wonder if Soi Fong had gotten sick of her company and was feeling more than a little hurt by the lack of attention.

As she headed home, she revised her plans. _'I suppose I can tell the clan chef to prepare the stuff later than I originally said. I can just surprise Soi Fong at lunch. She has got to eat sometime, right?'_

***

Soi Fong's appointment was none other than a meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association. It was absolutely true that the group had a meeting every week at that time. The schedule had never been a problem for Soi Fong. She would train, freshen up, then attend the meeting.

Now, the only way to incorporate shunko training with Yoruichi was simply to adjust the nature of her training, but to keep it at the same schedule. It had irked Soi Fong to no end that she had to turn down time alone with Yoruichi's so many times without telling her the exact reason why. A number of times, she considered bringing Yoruichi to the SWA meeting, but she could just imagine the mischief the woman would get into with the eccentric group, as well as the constant teasing she would get from the woman at such a meeting. The latter she didn't mind so much, but to have her interactions with Yoruichi on display was a different matter. She had a reputation to keep with the shinigami, and it wouldn't do to be blushing or stuttering in front of anyone but Yoruichi.

That in mind, she refrained from telling her mentor what her "appointment" actually was. If Yoruichi knew, she would insist on tagging along, and Soi Fong knew she wouldn't be able to say no.

She arrived at the vast Kuchiki grounds to find the Eight's lieutenant frantically trying to stop the SWA President from stealing koi from the Kuchiki pond and chomping on them. Soi Fong face-palmed. She pictured Yoruichi actually helping Yachiru for no other reason than annoying Byakuya. Then again, she might actually partake of the fish in cat form. Well, that cemented Soi Fong's decision not to bring Yoruichi.

In a few minutes, the rest of the gang arrived and they moved the assembly to the newest secret meeting hall, still within the Kuchiki estate. The agenda focused on inane fund-raising activities which she had to admit she actually enjoyed. Nothing unusual. That was, until the sugar-high president complained that she had she couldn't understand Nanao's instructions.

"Vice president, I can't _**go**_ with Matsumoto-san if I don't know who this Matsumoto-san is!" Yachiru whined.

"Matsumoto-san is me, Yachiru. How many times have I told you that?" Matsumoto spoke to the president like the child she was.

"Boobies?" she said in recognition.

"Yes, Madam President. You are to go with… Boobies… so that you can have more of the shinigami captain trading cards printed. You will then give them to… Onion-head… to sell at her division," Nanao repeated for the benefit of the pink-haired girl as she shot Matsumoto and Rukia apologetic glances. Matsumoto appeared to not mind while Rukia glared at Nanao.

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Yachiru asked.

"I _**did**_! I _**did**_ say so! Five times!" Nanao cried.

"But you didn't use the right names! You can't expect me to understand when you say things like 'Matsumoto-san' and 'Kuchiki-san'," the girl bit back.

"Ughhhh!" Nanao responded.

"I know, from now on, at every meeting, members of the SWA can only call each other by their right names. Especially you, Glasses."

"You can't…" shouted a number of people in the room.

"Sure, I second the motion." Matsumoto said, not really caring one way or the other.

"Then this is my decree as president," Yachiru finalized.

When the Kuchiki Clan Head suddenly entered the room with a particularly cold glare trailed by some guards, the meeting was hastily adjourned, preventing further discussion of the said decree and leaving many members quite cross. Curiously, Rukia who was obviously opposed to being called Onion-head was not among them, having disappeared shortly before Byakuya came. Instead, the most notable dissenter was Soi Fong, who mumbled something about Houmonkas, little brats, and teaching respect before flash stepping away. Matsumoto shrugged. She was the one being referred to as "Boobies". She couldn't see why everyone else was so shy about the much tamer nicknames.


	13. Chapter 13: Finding Soi Fong

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just wanted to remind people that I usually update with multiple chapters at a time. Make sure you're not skipping any chapters!

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 13: Finding Soi Fong

When lunchtime came, Yoruichi dropped by the Second to find Soi Fong, but only saw Omaeda gorging on something brown and greasy.

"Hey Omaeda, is your captain in?"

"Ngut yet," he struggled to say with his mouth full.

"Do you know where she is?" she asked, trying hard not to show her disgust.

Having swallowed, he answered more clearly, "When I asked Taichou where she was going, she threatened me with a blade and yelled at me to leave her alone." Apparently, it was a fairly common occurrence since he didn't seem as disturbed as he should be with such a situation.

"Last time I saw her though, I thought she was heading for Kuchiki property."

"That's odd… ," Yoruichi mused aloud. "Well, thanks. I'll try to find her around there."

Yoruichi flash stepped to the area before continuing more slowly, hoping to spot Soi Fong. She was about to reach out with her senses to detect the familiar reiatsu when she found Matsumoto who was getting back to the Tenth as slowly as she could to avoid working. More accurately, Matsumoto was sitting on a bench in a secluded corner of the Kuchiki garden where Byakuya and her own captain wouldn't find her easily. This took care of the "slowly" part. Later… much, much later… she would take care of the "getting back" part.

Yoruichi was getting impatient. All this searching was making her hungry and she was looking forward to having lunch with her friend.

"Hey Matsumoto, have you seen Soi Fong?"

"Oh, you just missed her. She was with me a while ago," Matsumoto replied.

"So she _**was**_ here. I didn't know she was meeting with you."

"Uh, huh. Every week around this time. It's a beautiful place to meet isn't it?" Matsumoto said while gesturing to the manicured Kuchiki grounds, silently commending the SWA president for her choice of venue.

'_The weekly appointment she's been turning me down for is... a tryst… with… Matsumoto???' _

Yoruichi looked into the distance with an undecipherable expression, trying to calm herself down so she can assess the situation properly.

Matsumoto thought the look meant she was contemplating going after Soi Fong.

"Hmmm. I wouldn't go after her if I were you. She's not in a good mood," Matsumoto warned.

"Excuse me?" Yoruichi broke out of her inner struggle.

"Well, we just agreed to call each other by nicknames next time and she's not comfortable with it," Matsumoto explained, not realizing how she was fueling a misunderstanding.

"Don't worry, she's probably just shy. She'll come around," Matsumoto continued flippantly while tossing her lustrous hair back, emphasizing her assets in the process.

Yoruichi clenched her fist, drawing blood, as she gave the woman a once over. _'Oh, no, she won't.'_ she promised darkly. _'I'm the only one who gets to call her Soi.'_

With that, she left immediately, not bothering to say goodbye.

'_Did I say something wrong?'_ Matsumoto wondered as she continued to "slowly get back to her division".

***

Normally, Yoruichi wouldn't have had trouble finding someone she was familiar with. Sensing reiatsu was an ability that one had to develop as a captain. However, Soi Fong seemed to be masking her reiatsu and Yoruichi was in such turmoil that she couldn't concentrate well enough to pick out the dampened energy.

"Aaargh! This is what I get for training her too well!" Yoruichi ranted to no one in particular. A few new recruits who happened to be walking nearby froze in fear of the enraged woman.

Yoruichi tried two more times to detect Soi Fong's reiatsu, her face screwed in an attempt to concentrate. Then she sighed and finally gave up. _'This is useless! Maybe I should just go home… I'll just find her when I'm calm enough._'

***

Yoruichi was trudging back to her room when an old woman rounded the corner, coming face to face with her.

"Yoruichi-sama," greeted the clan elder.

"Kagami-obaasama, you know you don't have to call me that when we're not in an official meeting. I'm still just your Yoru-chan," a calmer Yoruichi said kindly, despite the dark aura emanating from her.

"No, I suppose I don't have to… Is everything alright, my granddaughter?"

"Yes, of course. Everything's perfect," Yoruichi answered a little too quickly.

"Mmm… The reason I ask is because the chef told me that you had him prepare a feast for two and that now, you don't want any of it. He was asking me what he was supposed to do with it." Even as she spoke slowly with the deliberate words of a wizened grandmother, her eyebrow was quirked. She was clearly where Yoruichi got her habit.

"Oh, I thought I would be much hungrier since I went for training with the captain of my old division. I ended up just supervising the training so I'm not hungry," the younger woman lied smoothly.

"Not hungry at all? That doesn't sound like my baby." Kagami chuckled. "So how is the captain?"

"She's picking up the technique quickly, as usual," Yoruichi responded as briefly as possible, a little miffed that she had unwittingly steered the conversation towards the person she had been trying to find earlier.

"Ah, her grandmother and I always knew that Shaolin would get far. She was always so determined. Talented young thing too," Kagami commented, referred to the captain by her real name because of the long history between their families.

"Tell me, Yoru-chan, have you told her about your feelings?"

"What?!"

"Dear child, don't think for a second that I do not know what's going on. I'm old, not senile."

"But how did you… I mean… I didn't even know until recently!"

"Ah, well you see, my dear Yoruichi-_**sama**_, you were born the heir of one of the Four Great Noble Clans and are now its rightful head."

"What does _**that**_ have to do with anything?" Yoruichi asked irritably, crossing her arms.

"From the moment you were born, you have been waited on hand and foot. You may be surprisingly carefree and modest for a noble of your stature, something that I personally approve of, but you have never been one to serve others… I imagine Kisuke and Tessai never even let you lift a finger when you were with them."

Despite not getting the point, Yoruichi had the good grace to blush, and her grandmother laughed.

"Lead others, rescue others, protect others, yes. Wait on others, no… "

"I still don't see how… ," Yoruichi interrupted.

"Well, let me start with this instead," Kagami said, changing her approach. "When the war with Aizen finished, the clan waited excitedly for your return but you did not come. Not for more than a week. Why? What could be more important than returning to the family you hadn't seen for a century?"

"I… ," Yoruichi tried to explain before her grandmother spoke again.

"Don't get me wrong, Yoru-chan. I do not take it against you. After all, a week is but a moment in our existence. Still… ," she baited Yoruichi with a slight pause.

"You waited more than a week before coming back to us. And for what? To wait on a daughter of the Fong clan… "

"My dear, I have lived a long time, and the only time I have ever seen a master serving the servant, all else be damned, is when there was something much greater between them than that which originally bound them together."

'_Oh.'_

Yoruichi hadn't realized that there was anything extraordinary about what she did.

"It doesn't matter," Yoruichi grumbled as she leaned against the wall with a soft thump.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"She's seeing someone else."

"You seem to be angry at her for it," the older woman pointed out.

Yoruichi refused to respond.

"Granddaughter, she promised to serve you with her mind, body and soul, and you know better than I do that she performed her duty marvelously. But you have to remember, she never promised you her heart," Kagami said mildly.

It was a gentle reminder but to Yoruichi, her grandmother might as well have yelled at her. She was absolutely right and Yoruichi was beginning to realize how irrationally she had been behaving.

When she talked to Matsumoto, she had been consumed with emotion. She was angry and hurt, and she sought out the one who had caused it. _'What was I going to do anyway? Tell Soi Fong off for entertaining the sought-after beauty who was interested in her? What right do I have to do that? I'm her former commander, her friend and mentor… That's all…. She was destined to protect me, and she has… Who am I to demand more?'_

As subtle emotions played out across Yoruichi's face, her grandmother who knew her so well couldn't help but feel bad for Yoruichi. _'Poor Yoru-chan. She is too accustomed to getting what she wants. Now, she's having a hard time with this. Well, there's a first for everything and this should be a good learning experience for her if nothing else.'_

Finally, Yoruichi heaved a sigh and said to herself, "Thank god, I didn't find her."

Her grandmother, knowing that she probably didn't mean to say it aloud, decided not to pry on that that particular matter. That kindness bestowed, however, she decided to pry on a different but related matter.

"You never answered my question, my dear,"

"Which one?" Yoruichi asked, a little out of sorts from her internal monologue.

"Have you told her?"

"Oh… ," She paused. "No."

"Hmmm, even less reason to be angry… "

"Obaasama, what… ," Yoruchi began as she uncharacteristically squirmed from her position against the wall. "What should I do?" she asked softly.

"If you love her, then you do what you must to win her love in return," the old woman answered with conviction.

'_Love?'_

The morning after she had dreamt about Soi Fong, she had realized that she was attracted to her friend and protector. Then, shortly after she made the unplanned offer to train Soi Fong, she had come to terms with the fact that her feelings extended beyond physical attraction. At that time, she had said nothing and had done nothing. She had reasoned that it was essential to spend more time with the woman to help her gauge the depth and seriousness of her feelings. Was it love after all? After her centuries of contentment as a single woman, did she finally find someone she wanted to spend her life with?

"She already has someone else," she said to avoid the issue.

"Did she tell you that?"

"No."

"It's been a while since I was in your position, Yoru-chan, but I think the general rule is never to assume these kinds of things. Tell her what you feel and find out what she thinks."

"But what if… "

"Hmmm? Is that insecurity I hear in my granddaughter's voice?" Kagami teased mildly, once again sporting a quirked eyebrow.

Yoruichi frowned. It wasn't very much fun to be on the receiving end of that expression.

"Yoru-chan, I know that you have a lot of uncertainties. But your time in the living world tells me you are no stranger to risks and consequences. The question you need to ask yourself is, 'Is she worth the risk?'."

"She is."

Yoruichi's eyes widened. She didn't know how, but the words had slipped so easily from her lips.

A pregnant silence filled the hallway before Kagami addressed her shocked granddaughter with a playful smile.

"Well get on it then, Yoru-chan! You'll need lots of energy. I'll have the chef bring your food over."

As Kagami turned to leave, Yoruichi called out, "Obaasama… "

"Yes, dear?"

"It… it doesn't bother you that I am about to pursue a woman?" Yoruichi asked, knowing the answer from the conversation but not completely understanding why.

"I only want you to be happy, my child," the woman said soothingly before she continued on her way. Inwardly, she added, _'I don't know if the rest of the council will feel the same, but you have at least me on your side.' _

After speaking to the chef, Kagami headed for the window in her room. She breathed in deeply, thankful for the opportunity to feel the wind against her body. She dug out her reiatsu and took on the form of a dove. It was the ability she was granted as wife of the diplomatic Twentieth Head of the Shihouin Clan.


	14. Chapter 14: Power and Control

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but it sure is fun to write like it is.

Author's note: Just one chapter this time. I thought that I might have to wait a little longer for an update with multiple chapters, but I decided to put this out so that you have something to read while I polish the next chapters. Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them.

The Art of Transformation

by siyentista

Chapter 14: Power and Control

"You've gotten better!" Yoruichi shouted enthusiastically as she stood with her arms crossed, surveying the Y-shaped clearing that Soi Fong just made using her shunko.

Soi Fong nodded her thanks since she was too busy taking in much-needed oxygen to speak. She had her hands on her knees, standing bent over in the junction of the Y, where she had just imagined three opponents coming at her from three directions. She smirked, '_Three imaginary opponents decimated in one burst of energy while three equally imaginary comrades escape the attack. Not bad. Not bad at all.'_

"We can stop here," Yoruichi called out before flash stepping down to the clearing. "For the next meetings, we'll keep making the patterns more complicated until we've mastered shunko completely."

"Sounds… good," Soi Fong finally managed to say between breaths. She picked up her neatly folded haori from the base of the tree she designated Imaginary Comrade One. It was a testament to her growing control that the cloth was dusty but completely untouched by the blast.

As Soi Fong was busy dusting off the cloth, Yoruichi was engaging in a very lively debate with herself. It was a silent debate, but Soi Fong would not have needed to hear anything had she turned around at that moment. Yoruichi's face flickered from pensive, to doubtful, to longing, then to hesitant, before it finally settled on hopeful.

"Hey Soi, got any time to hang out with me today?" she asked in her usual casual tone.

"Not really," Soi Fong answered, preoccupied with her haori.

"You're leaving for another… appointment," Yoruichi guessed disappointedly, all pretenses of not caring gone.

Soi Fong shrugged the haori on with her back to her mentor. "Yes," she answered simply, though when she turned around, she was taken aback by the defeated look on Yoruichi's face.

'_What… Why… ?'_ pondered a mystified Soi Fong.

"I… ," Soi Fong began. Yoruichi was acting so peculiarly that she was seriously considered skipping the SWA meeting. "Mmmm… I'm sorry, Yoruichi. I really can't."

'_Today, we need to fix that whole nickname issue or else our little president is going to get herself murdered in her sleep,'_ she reasoned.

"I… see," Yoruichi said in a strangled voice.

"Is everything alright?" Soi Fong tried to find out.

"Uh, yeah," Yoruichi replied, obviously not meaning it.

Soi Fong didn't want to leave Yoruichi the way she was, but she didn't know how to deal with the foreign situation and she was running out of time. "Ummm… I have to go right now, but I'll find you later, okay? Maybe around lunch?" she said hurriedly and with much concern.

Yoruichi just nodded.

***

During the meeting, the nickname rule was overturned as Soi Fong had wished, but the whole debate had passed without so much as a peep from the captain. The entire meeting, Soi Fong's mind was on Yoruichi and the hurt look she wore when she left a while ago. She was perplexed and quite unsettled. Yoruichi looked so sad, resigned and so vulnerable. Those were expressions that had no business adorning Yoruichi's beautiful features.

Had she done that? All she said was that she was going to a meeting, just like she had for the past few weeks. All the other times, Yoruichi had reacted indifferently. _'Well, except for that last time,'_ she thought. _'Last week, Yoruichi sort of complained that I kept leaving for the meeting, but even then she let it go easily.'_

Soi Fong didn't think that it mattered so much to Yoruichi. They were friends now, she knew, and Yoruichi seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. This much she could tell because the woman kept visiting the division and inviting her out. But Yoruichi had always been a highly independent person and her aura of nonchalance made Soi Fong think that while she was a friend, she wasn't particularly special to Yoruichi.

It was true that Yoruichi had taken care of her for a week, something she had never done for anyone else. But then that was because she was worse off than everyone else, wasn't it? She had actually needed someone else's help. More importantly, wasn't it because Yoruichi felt guilty that she was the reason she was injured?

Now she wasn't so sure. Perhaps she really had hurt her friend by constantly turning her down. Perhaps she was feeling a little… neglected?

It was difficult to suddenly think of Yoruichi this way—as someone she had the power to actually hurt emotionally rather than someone she had to gain power to impress, defeat, or protect. But if that was the case, then she was determined to apologize and fix things.

***

"Hey there," Soi Fong greeted when she found Yoruichi watching the ant-like shinigami from a hill overlooking the Seireitei.

"Oh, hey," was the dull response.

"Are you okay?" Soi Fong asked as she took a seat beside Yoruichi and joined in looking down.

Yoruichi took a deep breath.

"Do… do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Soi Fong ventured.

"Well… ," Yoruichi considered, "… not really." She had already lost control of herself earlier when she showed exactly how she felt about Soi Fong seeing Matsumoto. She didn't feel like exposing herself again.

Soi Fong nodded, realizing that she was going to have to bring it up herself. "I'm sorry I've been ditching you to go to the SWA meetings."

Yoruichi glanced at Soi Fong to process what she had just said.

"I really can't afford to miss any of them or else stupid rules get created," Soi Fong continued to explain.

"What? SWA meeting? I thought Matsumoto… and you… and… ." Yoruichi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, hope growing so quickly in her chest that she thought she might burst.

"Hmm? There's a bunch of us in the association that you know," Soi Fong said, misunderstanding Yoruichi's jumbled words. "Like you said, Matsumoto's there. All the other female lieutenants, Unohana-taichou… Kuchiki too, even if we have the secret meetings in the Kuchiki estate… ," Soi Fong enumerated.

"Last week, Kusajishi-fukutaichou decreed that people should be called by the nicknames she gave them, like Glasses for Ise-fukutaichou. The reason I really had to leave today was because we needed to reverse it," Soi Fong rambled on.

'_Nicknames? It was all… a misunderstanding?!' _Yoruichi had never felt so happy and relieved about being wrong before.

Stuck in her realization, Yoruichi was so quiet that Soi Fong was beginning to worry that she hadn't been forgiven. "I can bring you next time if you want," she offered.

Yoruichi, on the other hand, was finding out for the first time how it felt to have something you badly coveted suddenly within reach. Overcome with emotion, she grappled a shocked Soi Fong in an awkward but tight embrace from her position beside her.

'_I didn't know she wanted to come along so badly,'_ thought the bewildered Soi Fong even as she blushed brightly.

"Are… are we good now?" Soi Fong asked, shifting a bit so she can rub Yoruichi's back comfortingly.

Yoruichi nodded her head, refusing to let go of the smaller woman.

***

Soi Fong just sat there, waiting for Yoruichi to calm down when a thought popped into her head: _'I am not a warm person.'_

Soi Fong was deadly. She was skilled. She was efficient. She was sharp…

She was _**not **_warm.

The truth was that in her childhood, she was taught by doctrine and example that emotions were unimportant—unavoidable, yes, but nonetheless unworthy of one's time and consideration. The priority was the mission and the mastery of skills that would allow the completion of the mission. After that, came one's own survival and the acquisition skills that ensured one's survival. Everything else was a trimming that could hinder or at best, be neutrally useless.

Once, Soi Fong had read a text describing how katana were made. "When a blade is being forged, the alloy is pounded on relentlessly. When it has taken shape, it is hardened by dousing its molten core until is as cold as the icy water engulfing it," it had said. Soi Fong couldn't help but liken the process to the crafting of a warrior. She, herself, had undergone harsh training to be as deadly as she was, and her rise as a warrior involved a progressive loss of warmth.

In her adolescence, there had been one person who had dared to dig up the last vestiges of her emotions and warmth. "Cold steel blades may be strong," she had lectured, "but the person who wields it is the one with the power. A weapon is deadly, but only if there is a mind and heart to grant it a purpose, and a hand to lend it movement."

If her words were not enough, Yoruichi showed through her own example that there could be strength in those human attributes; and Soi Fong had to bow to her wisdom for she found that she was indeed fiercer, much more formidable in battle, when she was fighting to protect her revered master. That being said, the sudden abbreviation of her time with Yoruichi had not allowed her coldness to melt completely.

When Yoruichi left, the emotions she was left with were all negative—pain, anger, disappointment, betrayal. But her master was proven correct once again: using those emotions, she had accomplished so much. Unfortunately, those were greedy emotions that left no space for anything else—not the protectiveness that she used to have, not the happiness she used to cherish, and especially not the humor that Yoruichi seemed to value or the warmth she displayed from time to time.

When Yoruichi returned, so did her protectiveness. When she finally protected Yoruichi, she regained some of that happiness and gave in to some of the humor. And now… Now, she was sitting on a hill apologizing and comforting that same person… Was she, Soi Fong, cold assassin, strict captain, finally becoming… warm?

Why did all of the milestones in her life hinge on Yoruichi? And why was it that most of the emotions she had managed to feel ultimately led back to her? Yoruichi was the most important person in her life. That was a clear-cut fact. Young Shaolin Fong would have said that it was because the Princess was her charge. The Keigun recruit would have added that she was her commander and idol. The personal guard of the Onmitsukidou Commander would have reasoned that she was her respected teacher. And now… Now, she was sitting on a hill apologizing and comforting that same person… Yoruichi was more important than ever because she had become her closest friend.

But importance was one thing. People could be important and not be the center of anyone's life. Why then was Yoruichi the center of hers?

Soi Fong gazed at the woman clutching at her haori, Yoruichi's silken hair brushing her cheek in the process. She found that she liked the sensation, and noticed that Yoruichi's weight was pleasant against her side. Idly, she thought that it would be so easy now to just stretch the comforting arm a little farther on Yoruichi's back and to bring the other arm over to encircle the woman.

When she realized where her thoughts had led, Soi Fong stiffened imperceptibly and dropped the comforting arm as discreetly as possible. She had gazed at Yoruichi, seeking the answer to her questions, and she had found it, hadn't she? All of the milestones in her life and most of the emotions she felt involved Yoruichi because to her, Yoruichi was more than a princess, more than an idol, more than her superior or mentor or friend. She didn't know how or when it had happened, but somewhere in the time she had known her, perhaps as far back as her service as a low-ranking member of the Onmitsukidou, she had fallen in love with Yoruichi.

She wasn't as shocked at the realization as she could have been. The hundred-year absence aside, she had always prioritized Yoruichi's happiness and well-being. At the back of her head, she must have known but always ignored it because Yoruichi was a woman. Moreover, she was perfect and unreachable. And now… Now, Soi Fong was sitting on a hill apologizing and comforting that same person… because she had been hurt by the lack of attention… Was Yoruichi still unreachable?


	15. Chapter 15: How it's going to be

Author's notes: I'd like to apologize for the really really late update. I'm just really busy with school right now. The kind words and requests for updates definitely gave me the push I needed to get on with the next chapters. See what reviews can do? Anyway, I hope you enjoy these two chapters. They haven't been beta-ed and I'm too busy to check it myself. Let me know if there are glaring mistakes.

I should be updating again soon, but there could be another long wait before I get into the final chapters of the story.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 15: How it's going to be

Soi Fong didn't see Yoruichi for the rest of the week. She was relieved because there was a lot she needed to think about, or rather, a lot that she shouldn't think about and would think about if Yoruichi was present. Yoruichi, for her part, had avoided visiting Soi Fong to recover from her embarrassment from acting so needy, vulnerable, and jealous, even if Soi Fong didn't know about the last one. The following week, both women had again mastered themselves, and training went on as if nothing had happened.

Soi Fong arrived at the Kuchiki property, Yoruichi in tow, to see that Yachiru was once again stealing koi. "Haha, the kid's doing a good job. With some help, she'll be emptying Byakuya-bo's pond soon," Yoruichi commented. She had an evil glint in her eye that told Soi Fong just who would be helping.

'_I knew it!'_ Soi frowned.

When Yoruichi caught sight of the frown, she chuckled guiltily and rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Ah, good luck to her, huh?"

"What? You're… _**not**_… going to help the little monster?" Soi Fong looked at Yoruichi oddly.

"Did you want me to?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"Well, if the _**Gundanchou**_ forbids it, then it shall not be!" Yoruichi teased as she started dragging Soi Fong towards the other women who had already congregated.

Soi Fong was perplexed since she was sure she had not imagined the mischievous look on her friend's face. _'When Yoruichi gets that look, there's no stopping her._'

Her musings were cut off when Yoruichi laughed wickedly, and Soi Fong raised her head to see Kiyone gaping at her, her face completely ashen.

"It seems someone is remembering what happens when people try to take advantage of me," Yoruichi noted in amusement.

Soi Fong glared threateningly at Kiyone to remind her of that "it never happened".

"Uh, I don't remember anything!" Kiyone blurted in terror.

A violet eyebrow disappeared into equally violet bangs. "Oh? Then perhaps I should remind you why the SWA shouldn't try to take my picture naked?"

Soi Fong blanched._ 'She wouldn't dare… '_

Of course, Yoruichi did dare. She decided to recount exactly what she did to punish Soi Fong for her paparazzi attempt… loudly so the others could hear. Soi Fong blushed furiously and started coughing violently to cover it up, though by the end, all of the women were blushing.

'_I knew it!'_ Soi Fong thought once again. She really did have a good reason for not taking Yoruichi to the meetings in the first place.

"What were those pictures for anyway?" Yoruichi thought to ask after she had made sure that no one in the SWA would attempt to photograph her like that again.

"A fundraiser," Nanao answered, having given up on capturing Yachiru. "We were making trading cards with pictures of the Gotei's finest to sell to their fans."

"Fans?" Yoruichi repeated dubiously, wondering if, prior to Aizen's defeat, there were enough people who knew about her and remembered her captaincy to create a fan base. _'Then again, who needs a reason to buy a picture of a beautiful naked woman?'_ she thought cockily as Nanao began to speak again.

"It is a fact that every captain has a fan club; therefore, there is a demand for pictures. We fill the demand, and we earn money. It is a win-win situation."

"Nanao, are you sure about that? I went with the plan because I know that the shinigami admire their captains, but are you sure there are actual fan clubs?" Isane questioned meekly.

"Of course I am sure," Nanao huffed, pushing her glasses up haughtily. "Are you implying that I didn't do the necessary research before proposing the activity?"

"Oi Nanao, don't be like that," Matsumoto intervened. "It's just hard to believe that _**all**_ of the captains have a fan club. I mean my little taichou is cute and all, but if there's a fan club, wouldn't that be kind of… pedophilic? And Kurotsuchi-taichou… ?" she continued, shuddering visibly at the name.

"That's right," Rukia agreed. "I can see why Nii-sama would have fans…"

Yoruichi snorted.

"… but Komamura-taichou… ," Rukia continued, ignoring Yoruichi's reaction.

"As I understand it, the animal lovers think Komamura-taichou is adorable," Nanao cut off.

"… and father is revered by his subordinates in the Twelfth Division," Nemu added.

"His subordinates or his creations?" Rukia muttered under her breath.

_BLAM!_

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Yoruichi said. "Wow, the Gotei sure has gone crazy over the past century… Say, you said all captains, right?" Yoruichi asked, throwing a curious glance towards Soi Fong who was red-faced, too busy recovering from her violent cough or fighting down a blush.

"That's right," Nanao confirmed with her forehead on the table where she had slammed it out of frustration earlier.

Yoruichi grinned. "So… Soi has one too?"

Soi Fong launched into another coughing fit and Isane started fussing over her.

Nanao lifted her head, "I believe the president of that club is in my squad."

Yoruichi grin widened. "Can I see Soi's card?"

"Ah, you see," Nanao began, shuffling her feet while a few people in the room looked down nervously and started to rub their shoulders reflexively. "She doesn't have one… We're a little afraid of the second strike."

"Second… ? Oh… Oh, I see." Yoruichi said, finally noticing the inconspicuous white homounkas on the women's black robes. "I didn't know you can make them that small," she gushed, now glancing at Soi Fong who looked away guiltily.

"Hmm… Ise, here's an idea," Yoruichi said, before whispering something in her ear, Nanao's eyes widening in delight and her head nodding vigorously while the others looked on curiously.

"I'll arrange for it immediately!"

"Hey, what the heck was that about?!" Soi Fong asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Now, now, Soi. All I said was that they can have a picture of me… ," Yoruichi placated the suspicious captain laying a hand on her shoulder.

Soi Fong's frown had begun unfurling when Yoruichi continued, "… and you for a Second Division Captains card."

"What?!" Soi Fong screeched, clutching at her haori with her arms across her chest at the memory of how Ukitake and Yoruichi were dressed, or rather not dressed, when they had taken or tried taking their pictures. Her face turned red yet again, though this time she had not been able to fight it down or cover it up.

"Oh, stop that. I've had enough homounkas on me to last a lifetime so I'm not keen on getting more," Yoruichi joked. _'Though I would be willing to be marked by Soi in other ways,'_ she thought, a tinge of pink dusting her own cheeks, which everyone attributed to her hearty laugh. "The Onmitsukidou uniform would be fine with you, right? It shows enough skin... "

"No, it doesn't," Matsumoto corrected, suddenly shrinking when Soi Fong glowered at her. Yoruichi had to suppress the pleased smirk that was forming at the interaction between the two.

"Anyway, we'll both wear the uniform in the card. That's not so bad, is it? Think of the money the SWA will make."

Soi Fong's face scrunched up, considering the suggestion, while the other women leaned forward expectantly.

"Come on, Soi!"

"Well… "

"It'll be great!" Yoruichi insisted.

" Ugh… Okay, okay, I'll do it."

"Mmm… much better response than last time," Nanao said happily, rubbing Suzumebachi's mark again. "The next order of business is getting that interview from Kuchiki-taichou that he's been avoiding. Do you have any ideas?"

'_Do I ever,_'Yoruichi thought, the mischievous gleam in her eyes coming back with a vengeance.

Why, oh, why didn't Soi Fong take her to the SWA meeting sooner?


	16. Chapter 16: A Riot

Author's note: Remember, this is the second of two chapters in a single update.

Chapter 16: A Riot

Yoruichi had been attending SWA meetings with Soi Fong for about a month now. Put in the context of some more meaningful milestones in the pair's lives, that meant that it had been about a month since Soi Fong realized her feelings for her former captain, about a month since Yoruichi discovered that the one she loved was in fact, not taken. More importantly, it had been that much time since Yoruichi's emotional breakdown pushed Soi Fong to finally step up as a complete equal in their relationship, and that much time since Yoruichi learned the benefits of being more expressive towards her friend.

Yes, that's what they still were: friends. Despite the fact that they both loved each other and their once-fragile friendship had evolved into one that could potentially support a healthy romantic relationship, neither of them made any moves to initiate such a transition. Soi Fong might have wanted more, but she was happy that they had turned into the best of friends and did not want to rock the boat with two confessions: one, that she was lesbian; two, that she was lesbian specifically for Yoruichi.

Yoruichi… Well… Unlike Soi Fong who had had lifetime lessons in self-deprivation, Yoruichi was used to getting what she wanted. This time, she wanted Soi Fong and was inclined to do something about it. The problem was that precisely because she was used to getting what she wanted, she didn't think she could take it if Soi Fong rejected her. In true Onmituskidou form, her solution was to gather information on Soi Fong's preferences to determine the likelihood of acceptance, as well as to plan the best way to approach her. Unfortunately, Soi Fong was such a private and reclusive personality that Yoruichi's investigation was not getting anywhere.

This particular night, Yoruichi was taking a walk around the Seireitei , mulling over her latest failed information gathering attempt, when she felt a presence rapidly approaching. It wasn't likely to be a threat considering where she was, but by force of habit, she was on guard instantly.

She only had to wait for a couple more minutes before a hooded man in an odd uniform dropped to his knees before her with his head bowed respectfully.

"First class order for Shihouin Yoruichi from the combined authority of the Captain of the First and Second Division," he said.

'_Onmitsukidou Communications Team? A top priority order from two captains? This must be big,'_ Yoruichi thought.

"Go ahead."

"There has been a riot at the Underground Detention Facility. The Captains of the First and Second request your assistance because of your experience as former Captain of the Second Division and Commander of Onmitsukidou."

"What of the Third Seat and the rest of the Detention Team?" Yoruichi asked.

"The Gundanchou said she will brief you on the situation."

Yoruichi nodded, "Take me to her."

***

"Gundanchou Kakka, Shihouin Yoruichi is here as you've requested," informed the messenger.

Soi Fong nodded to acknowledge her guest.

"Join your squad and take the perimeter. You are dismissed," she ordered the man who promptly obeyed.

Yoruichi found the interaction a little nostalgic and she allowed herself a moment of pride for having trained the Gundanchou of the Onmitsukidou. "What happened?" she asked gravely after a moment.

"We don't know exactly. From the testimonies of the guards on duty, the Third Seat escorted the newest prisoner to the Maggot's Nest about half an hour ago. The guards say that he was inside longer than usual considering his task. They heard a commotion, and one of the guard squads was sent in to investigate. When they didn't return, the remaining guards alerted me to the situation," Soi Fong narrated.

"The Third Seat and the guards… ," Soi Fong paused ominously. "We can no longer sense their reiatsu."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "How could they have subdued someone that powerful without their zanpakutou or reiatsu? The place is still made of reiatsu-draining seki-seki stone, right?"

"Yes. The prisoners should be drained, except for the newest one. At the rate that the stone works, we should still be able to sense my men, especially the Third Seat."

"Then how did they… ? Maybe it's an organized movement… Or could there be another traitor helping them?" Yoruichi speculated.

"I hope not," Soi Fong whispered.

"What's the strategy?" Yoruichi asked, already thinking of how she would plan the operation.

"We are dealing with an unknown threat. If they have taken the Third Seat, that could mean that they have some sort of advantage—some power or resource—that would endanger anyone weaker that we send in there," Soi Fong said.

"You are planning to go in, yourself," Yoruichi said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I've already informed the Sou-Taichou and he agrees that we have no choice. He wanted to send other captains with me, but they would be a liability since they know nothing about the facility or the prisoners. They could study the information, but time is of the essence."

"I'll be taking my lieutenant. I'm leaving you in charge of the net operations around the perimeter if the prisoners somehow make it out, as well as the reinforcements when Omaeda and I have disabled the important targets."

"No, I'm going with you," Yoruichi said firmly.

"Yoruichi, someone needs to… "

"Omaeda can do it. I'm going with you," she interrupted. "Look, there's something fishy going on and these rioters might have someone or something powerful on their side. On top of that, you can't bring zanpakutou inside or else you might be giving them additional weapons. You're going to need another hakuda expert by your side—one that knows that place inside out. I'm going with you," she repeated more firmly.

Soi Fong grit her teeth. Her protective side didn't want to take Yoruichi with her, and with her position of authority, she could press her own decision. But she couldn't deny that Yoruichi had a point. There was no one more suited for the task.

"Fine," Soi Fong conceded reluctantly while Yoruichi smirked triumphantly.

"We have three objectives: to rescue any surviving guards, to eliminate the ringleaders of the riot as well as the more dangerous participants, and to take back control of the facility. This is how we'll do it…"

Inwardly, Yoruichi was thanking the gods that she had polished her stealth skills in human form for her "information gathering missions". She would need them now, more than ever, and she wasn't planning to let Soi Fong down.

***

The facility was quite unlike the open areas or even the impossibly huge caves that Yoruichi and Soi Fong were used to fighting and training in. The total area might have been as big, but it was broken down into a network of shadowy caverns, the lot of which lay deep in the ground underneath a rocky hill. With the base of the hill surrounded by a high wall and a wide moat, the place gave off a sinister aura that was absent in most other battlefields.

Soi Fong's plan took into consideration the unique terrain. The first phase involved splitting up to scout the various caverns of the Maggot's Nest. They would ascertain the status of her subordinates, pinpoint the rioters, and watch their movements. Then they would meet at the cavern at the far side of the detention facility to refine their strategy. Until then, they were to keep to the shadows and mask their presence. For the two women who had been trained since childhood to be in the Onmitsukidou, this was not a problem.

The next phase of the plan was more dangerous—more delicate. They would have to subdue the rioters, but they had to direct their attack such that her subordinates, if they were still alive, would stay safe. More importantly they would have to restrict their powers since they had limited space, or else they risk a cave in. These conditions reduced their arsenal, but with the training to control their more destructive techniques, they were equipped to handle the situation.

Soi Fong reached the third from the last cavern. It was a bottleneck—the only way to get to the furthest caverns. Since she had not found the guards, nor the rioters save a few patrolling ones whom she had stealthily disabled, she had guessed that most of them were holed up in those last caverns. It didn't make sense to her. The rioters were behaving as if they were under siege instead of orchestrating an escape or even negotiating their release or some other demand. Since she and Yoruichi were banking on the latter possibilities, they had been expecting the group to be near the exit, which is why they planned to meet in the innermost cavern. Now, that seemed to be out of the question.

Soi Fong pressed herself against a dark nook just outside of the bottleneck and she peered into the area. Twenty men hiding in the shadows just like she was, though their stealth was nothing compared to hers, and there were probably more that couldn't be seen from that angle.

'_An ambush,'_ Soi Fong decided. It was the perfect idea for a small, bottleneck cavern like this, and it was an appropriate plan for a beleaguered group. It was as if they knew that they could never escape or that the Gotei 13 would never give into their demands. But if that was the case why riot in the first place? And why try to hold out? Could it be that they were waiting for some kind of reinforcement? Was it all part of a plan? Soi Fong's suspicion rose.

Soi Fong went through her options. It was quite likely that she had arrived at the bottleneck earlier than Yoruichi since she had drawn the shorter of the two scouting circuits. She could sit tight and wait for Yoruichi, but the longer she stayed there, the likelier it was that she would be detected. Moreover, with both women in stealth mode, they would have trouble finding each other without a real meeting place. In the off chance that one managed to locate the other, catching the other's attention without alerting the hidden men would be difficult. She could go off and find Yoruichi away from the bottleneck cavern, but what if they miss each other?

'_Too many question marks,'_ Soi Fong concluded. She'll have to deal with the ambush herself and hope that Yoruichi notices the release of her reiatsu. They would lose the element of surprise when they go after the remaining rioters in the inner caverns, but that was fine. It was obvious by now that almost all of them were there and they weren't likely to be hidden. With herself and Yoruichi fighting together, they couldn't lose.

With twenty known enemies and possibly more that were hidden, it wasn't feasible to get rid of the ambush party stealthily or even with hakuda and shunpo. She needed something faster and long range. She settled on shunko for she had now developed the control necessary for the fine, short rods that were similar to Byakurai but were much more deadly. She would pretend to reveal herself accidentally, draw out the unknown enemies, then she would eliminate them swiftly.

Taking a deep breath, she pretended to sneak sloppily into the cavern. From the corner of her eyes, she watched the men tense at the sight of her, probably not expecting the captain herself to make an appearance. She spotted ten more behind the stalagmites—a little more than she was counting on. _'This is going to be tricky,'_ she thought. Five long seconds passed, and at some unseen signal, thirty men charged at Soi Fong.


	17. Chapter 17: Criminals and Confessions

Author's Notes: There you go. Another quick update, and a very juicy one at that. Don't know when I can get the next chapter up, but I hope this chapter keeps you interested.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 17: Criminals and Confessions

Yoruichi encountered less patrols than Soi Fong and despite the longer route, she arrived at the bottleneck earlier than Soi Fong expected. She peeked from behind a rock column and was surprised to see Soi Fong doing a lousy job of hiding herself, and further spotted some prisoners lurking in the darker areas of the cavern.

"Shit!" she cursed to herself when she saw them run at Soi Fong who was pretending to be surprised by the attack. She flashed in front of them and started to fight.

Soi Fong, who was about to release the crackling energy from shunko, was completely surprised. As she had predicted, she had not sensed Yoruichi until she stepped in front of her. And now, she was standing between herself and the enemies, right in the line of fire.

It took all of her control and presence of mind to divert the attack at the last minute, but the energy had grown wild in the process. When the energy was released, the whole cavern shook violently. The unreinforced walls at its cavern's openings crumbled, sealing them in as the massive stalactites started dropping from the roof of the cavern. Even worse, the wall to her side had been punctured by the direct impact of the blast and water from the moat outside was rushing in from a fist-sized hole.

It was a total disaster, and by the end of it, many of the men had been struck down by the fallen boulders. Soi Fong and Yoruichi handled the rest of them easily even as one man tried to rally his comrades with a call of, "Stay strong! We need to hold out until Aizen-taichou comes!" before he fell.

Curious about what that meant, Soi Fong looked around, checking for survivors to interrogate. It was too late; there were none. They would have to rely on the testimonies of those in the inner caverns.

The water was at ankle level when Yoruichi finally realized what had just happened. "Shit! You were luring them out, weren't you?" Yoruichi cursed her thoughtless protectiveness. She should have known that Soi Fong wouldn't be so sloppy, and now her intrusion had gotten them trapped.

Soi Fong heaved a sigh. It wasn't all Yoruichi's fault. She hadn't taken into account the possibility that Yoruichi might arrive early.

"Yoruichi, you heard what that man said?" Soi Fong asked, effectively changing the subject.

"About Aizen coming for them?" Yoruichi said, raising her eyebrows in question.

"Mmhmm… He was a Seventh Seat from the Fifth Division. He was brought in right before the battle with Aizen for insubordination. No one else was transferred to the facility after Aizen had been exposed." She paused thoughfully. "The more I think about it, the more the riot looks like it's nothing but an ill-conceived attempt to defect to Aizen's side. That man probably organized it, not knowing that Aizen had made his move early and lost… You realize that the war would have happened around this time if he didn't?" Soi Fong said.

"So that's why they were holed up instead of actually doing something to get out!" Yoruichi exclaimed, having noticed the same thing as Soi Fong earlier. "But what about the Third Seat?" Yoruichi wondered "Even if they gang up on him, they can't possibly beat him without their reiatsu or zanpakutou."

"There might be a way if they somehow lured him to Mayuri's…"

Soi Fong's speculation was interrupted when the wall with the hole rumbled dangerously. The large cracks radiating from the hole grew. When they finally gave way to the pressure, three chunks of rock shot into the cavern, leaving the hole twenty times bigger than it originally was. The cavern itself was starting to fill up at an alarming rate.

"We need to get out of here!" Soi Fong yelled to Yoruichi as she made her way to one of the blocked paths. "Do you think we can we risk blasting out?" she asked Yoruichi loudly, trying to be heard over the sound of water gushing.

"The cavern can't take another one," Yoruichi responded as she swept the weakened walls with her eyes. She noticed a small gap in the boulders covering the cavern entrance—one that a cat might be able to slip through.

'_I could get out and get help. The remaining rioters are trapped in the rest of the caverns. It should be fine to leave them for now if our suspicions are correct.'_ Yoruichi's mind was rushing.

When she snapped out of it, she realized that the water was now at shin level. _'The cavern would fill up before I could get help and Soi Fong would… '_

Yoruichi didn't want to finish that thought.

A voice at the back of her head reminded her that it was possible for Soi Fong to turn into a cat and they could both just leave. _'No, that requires seals and stuff and… Wait, actually… '_

As she continued to consider the option she realized that the most difficult requirements were, in fact, already taken care of. _'But that means I'll have to… Dammit! This isn't how I wanted to do this! And what if she doesn't want to?!'_

"A little help would be nice!" Soi Fong called from on top of some rocks where she was still mostly dry. She was on her knees, doing her best to clear the rocks manually near the gap that Yoruichi spotted earlier, but she wasn't making much progress. Yoruichi, on the other hand, noticed that she was now up to her thighs in water. She waded over and climbed onto the pile of rocks.

'_There's no other way. I… I know I want to… Someday, for sure. But she might not… No… I can't give her a choice… for her own sake… Shit! I'm sorry, Soi,' _

Yoruichi knelt beside Soi Fong.

"Soi… ," Yoruichi whispered.

"Take that side!"

"Soi… ," Yoruichi repeated a little louder to get the harried woman's attention.

"That way we'll clear it out faster!"

"SOI!!!"

"What?!" Soi Fong responded, just now noticing that Yoruichi wasn't at all interested in moving the rocks.

Yoruichi steeled herself despite the heavy and frenzied thumping of her heart.

"Do you trust me?" she asked seriously.

"Of course I do!" answered the chagrined woman.

"I need you to say it," Yoruichi said, ignoring the annoyance in Soi Fong's voice.

"Yoruichi, I trust you. There, now, help me with this big one," Soi Fong said, turning towards the rocks once again. She wasn't afraid of death, no. But she was _**not **_going to die of drowning, of all things.

"Do you remember the oath you took when you were old enough to serve my clan? Can you… Can you please recite it?" Yoruichi requested, still not helping with the digging.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Soi Fong screeched, oblivious to the other woman's discomfort. "This is hardly the time for such things!"

"Soi Fong, please!" Yoruichi begged desperately, placing her hand over Soi Fong's heart.

Soi Fong stopped at the plea, blushing slightly from the contact. She stared at the hand, then she stared at the woman kneeling before her, trying to figure out what she was thinking and if she was okay. Was she going insane? Would reciting the oath actually help snap her out of this faster?

Never in her life had she ever thought that she would have to humor a serious Yoruichi, but that's what Soi Fong did. She took a moment to search her memories, breathed deeply and began to pledge her loyalty and her undying devotion to the Shihouin clan. She promised to protect Shihouin Yoruichi, Princess of the Tenshi Heisouban, with her life and to the best of her abilities. Then, she promised to give the Chief of the Shihouin Clan her mind, body and soul. As she spoke, she could swear that she felt her heart flutter and saw it glow beneath Yoruichi's hand.

Yoruichi had heard Soi Fong swear the same things once before, when both of them were but children and hardly understood what it meant. Hearing Soi Fong speak the words now, as the woman she loved and not as a child, she felt herself grow weak and tremble. The words, "She never promised you her heart," rang in her head and she hesitated, if only for a second.

'_I'm doing this to save her life…'_

"I, Shihouin Yoruichi, Twenty-Second Chief of the Shihouin Clan, likewise give you my trust and promise you my loyalty, devotion, and protection," Yoruichi said weakly, abbreviating her own ceremonial speech to finish the ritual as quickly as possible.

Soi Fong's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. That wasn't part of the oath-taking, and as much as Soi Fong wanted to hear similar words from Yoruichi, it just didn't make any sense._ 'What the heck is going on?! Why is she saying these things to me? Why now?!'_

"As I give you my heart, so shall I grant you the ability to transform," Yoruichi finished softly. _'This is it,'_ she thought nervously, leaning forward and capturing Soi Fong's lips.

Soi Fong froze. She couldn't hear the gushing water, nor feel the liquid now lapping at her legs, but she shuddered. She had longed for this though she never dreamed it could happen. But now that it was happening, it felt wrong.

She pushed Yoruichi back, breaking the kiss, fear and confusion plain on her face. She had meant to say something—maybe ask Yoruichi what was going on, maybe ask her what she meant by her action, maybe even tell her that she had been wanting to kiss her for a long time but that this time, it didn't feel right. But as she thought of what to say, Yoruichi had come to her own interpretation of the reaction: Soi Fong didn't feel the same way and she was horrified by what Yoruichi had done.

For just a second, the darker woman's face betrayed her pain from the rejection and apologized to Soi Fong for what she had just done. Before it could register with the stunned captain and before Soi Fong could voice anything, Yoruichi had put all of her defenses back up. To salvage her pride, she decided to act as if there was absolutely nothing behind that kiss beyond the execution of a ritual that was necessary to save Soi Fong's life—no love, no longing.

She hastily turned away from the woman and towards the gap in the boulders. "Let's go, Soi Fong!" she suddenly commanded, her tone very business-like, even as she started to shrink and change. The black cat wiggled its way through the hole and vanished from Soi Fong's view.

Belatedly, the disoriented captain realized that she was now alone in the cavern and that it was much bigger. The water was getting high. Even from the top of the pile of rocks, it was up to her… four thighs?!

She was a cat! A light-colored one, though she couldn't tell accurately in the relative darkness of the cavern. She was tempted to inspect herself a little longer, but the rapidly rising water shook her out of her trance. She ran towards the gap and copied Yoruichi's actions. She must have been smaller, for she fit easily in the small space. With the natural ability of her form, she landed gracefully on the other side.

The other cat was already flash stepping her way to the exit of the Maggot's Nest. She followed a little more slowly, not quite comfortable with the change in her body. Shortly after she set off, however, she stumbled for a reason other than her unfamiliarity with the form when she remembered the Fong teachings on the clan they served: The transformation was an ability of the head and heir of the Shihouin clan which could be passed onto their spouse in a ceremony that effectively bound them in marriage.

Suddenly, everything clicked—Yoruichi's desperate and odd requests, her hand over Soi Fong's heart, that glowing within her chest which she thought she had imagined... _'Yoruichi activated the Seal of Oblation!'_ she realized as she stopped and literally pawed her feline chest.

With any other person, it would have been difficult to perform the ritual without extensive preparation, and certainly, it would have been impossible to carry out without the spouse's knowledge. However, since she was of the servile Fong clan, she was already branded with a slightly different version of the seal required and she already knew the words that would consent to its activation. '_And Yoruichi got me to recite the oath… '_

The fresh memories played through her mind—the cave in, the tiny gap in the rocks, the rapid rising of water, Yoruichi lost in thought, the hesitance in her demeanor, the desperation in her requests, the weakness in her voice, then… the sudden coldness. It was clear to her now: In order to save her, Yoruichi had grudgingly spoken those empty words, reluctantly kissed her, and resentfully bound herself to her. She guessed that it was just her luck that the gods had somehow actually consented to the union. If not for that, she would not be a cat. No, that wasn't really fair. The truth was, if not for her mistakes in dealing with the ambush, Yoruichi would not have sacrificed her freedom to save her.

Soi Fong felt sick.

She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard Yoruichi speak in a strained voice. "To change back, just mold your reiatsu around you into the shape of a human… Now, you take care of things here while I get Toshiro to freeze the moat." With that, the Goddess of Flash once again rushed off before the captain could say anything.

With Yoruichi gone, Soi Fong chuckled mirthlessly at the irony of escaping drowning only to suffer the same pain in her chest and the same suffocating feeling. To complete the sensation, she even saw her life, as defined by her moments with Yoruichi, flash before her eyes. That was before she stomped all of her feelings down mercilessly and flash stepped to her quarters to transform and get dressed. After all, she had a job to do, and in the face of her duty, feelings and relationships were trivial.

Not five minutes later, Omaeda almost had a heart attack when his captain's stern voice boomed from the direction opposite of the Maggot's Nest.

"Omaeda! I want a team of kidou experts ready to create a secondary entrance to the far caverns of the facility and I want our division's best hakuda fighters and interrogators on standby for the assault. We will take back the Maggot's Nest as soon as Histugaya-taichou freezes the southern stretch of the moat. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Taichou!"


	18. Chapter 18: Noble Deeds

One chapter update this time. Reviews are appreciated as always.

In response to the latest reviews… Sorry I keep pulling our favorite couple apart when it's so obvious that they belong together. Don't fret, the end is near. Soon, everything will be as it should be.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 18: Noble deeds

Yoruichi blew the dust off the top of the thick tome before laying it on the desk with a thunk. 'Shihouin Rituals and Ceremonies', the worn golden letters read. Frankly, she had lost track of how many volumes she had perused after 'Transformation Methods' and 'Rules of the Tenshi Heisouban'. The lack of answers so far was discouraging, but she was convinced that if there was a way to reverse the impromptu ceremony she put together a few days ago, it would be somewhere within these shelves.

It was funny in a twisted sort of way that she had put so much effort into researching about Soi Fong in the last month just so that they could be together. Now that they were technically bound in marriage, she was doing everything she could to undo the process. She could be selfish, she supposed. She could just say that there was no way to reverse the ceremony and for all she knew, she might be telling the truth. Then she can keep Soi Fong to herself. But at what cost? Soi Fong's freedom? The degeneration of their friendship? Her own burning guilt and self-disgust? No, she had to find a way to fix things yet again because it seemed that she had this penchant for treading on her former student's happiness.

The only bright side to the issue is that she had saved herself from the hurt and embarrassment of confessing to Soi Fong directly only to be brutally rejected. Alright, she _did _get hurt and brutally rejected, but with her sort-of-confession coming in the form of a ceremony, she had a convenient excuse. She could wave her actions off as necessary and meaningless, and keep her feelings a secret until she found a way to get over them. It was too bad, too. The raven-haired woman was so devoted to her, so protective of her, and she blushed so much around her that she really believed she had a chance.

Yoruichi sneered at her own cockiness and where it had brought her as she began to gingerly leaf through the yellowing pages. She was only a tenth into the book when she heard a knock on the door.

"I told you I didn't want to be bothered!" she yelled irritably.

"My, my, is that any way to treat your old friend after he came all this way to visit you?"

"Kisuke?!" Yoruichi threw the doors open hurriedly to confirm him presence.

"In the flesh! I mean soul… Oh, never mind," Kisuke rambled cheerfully. "It feels so weird to not be in a gigai."

"Why are you here?" Yoruichi questioned flatly.

"Your obaasama was worried about you. She said that you holed yourself up in here and that you've barely spoken to anyone for a week." The blonde took in Yoruichi's haggard appearance, the dark circles under her eyes and her defeated demeanor.

Yoruichi simply slunk back to the desk and dropped into her chair, her eyes drawn to the card on her desk.

"What are you looking at?" Kisuke asked curiously as he leaned against the doorframe.

"A card with the past and present Second Division Captains," Yoruichi answered honestly, but covered up the pain that was dredged up by the mention of Soi Fong. "The SWA made a bunch of captain trading cards to sell as a fundraiser," she expounded as she picked up the card and eyed Soi Fong in her Onmituskidou uniform wielding Suzumebachi's shikai form and sporting a determined look. For the pictorial, she had worn her old uniform as well, complete with her choker, and she posed with her arm out to her side, already glowing in preparation for shunko.

A look of nostalgia washed over the shop owner's face as he tilted his head back. "Ah, I remember when Soi Fong was just your personal guard. So much has changed since we left a century ago."

"You have no idea," Yoruichi said wistfully, not taking her eyes off the card.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Kisuke looked Yoruichi in the eye, dropping the flakey act.

"No," she responded sternly.

"Yoruichi…," the man tried to argue.

"I said 'no', Kisuke. I've messed up her life again and… "

"So it's little Soi Fong, is it?" Kisuke quirked a brow interestedly as he flipped his fan open.

"What? No! Who said anything about…" the woman denied hotly.

"She must be happy to be married to you," he commented calmly, covering his chest with the fan as if he was using it to hide the turmoil in his heart.

Yoruichi gaped at Kisuke in disbelief as he started fanning himself. _'What is he? A freakin' mind-reader?!'_

"Mmm… 'Shihouin Rituals and Ceremonies', 'Rules of the Tenshi Heisouban', and yes, let's save the best for last, 'Transformation Methods'. What else could it possibly be?" Kisuke said smugly in response to the silent question.

Yoruichi cursed her carelessness in leaving those incriminating books in plain sight. They hadn't even been very helpful.

"And about… about Soi Fong?" she stumbled out as she realized that she couldn't keep anything from the obnoxious genius who had known her forever.

Kisuke smiled wider. "And I quote: 'I've messed up her life again… .' Her, as in female. Messed up again, as in you believe you have messed up the woman's life at least once before."

Yoruichi pouted petulantly and muttered, "I'm sure I've messed up other females lives before too," to which Kisuke barked a laugh.

"Yes, I'm sure you have," he said, still chuckling. "But never so badly as… ." He stopped as he caught himself. "You've never felt guiltier than with your dear protégé. In any case, even with a really good reason, which I'm sure you have, I can't imagine that you would go ahead and marry just anyone." He gestured wildly with his free hand.

"I hate you," the woman stated firmly.

The man grinned beneath his green-striped hat. "You know you don't mean that," he said as he closed the fan and pushed off the door frame. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

"We?" Yoruichi wondered aloud.

"You went into exile because of my troubles, and that's the only reason you've 'messed up' the young captain's life in the first place. The least I can do for both of you is to help with your troubles." the usually goofy man explained solemnly.

"Though I honestly think that she would be happy to be married to you," he continued as he remembered how the young bodyguard adored her captain and how she seemed so devoted to the woman even after she had gained the title of captain, herself. "I know I would," he ended in a whisper tinged with sadness.

"Kisuke… ," the purple-haired woman began in a gentle but scolding voice.

"I know, I know." The man pasted the goofy smile back on his face and raised his free palm to forestall even the gentlest words of rejection that his friend… _just friend_… could come up with this time around. "So fill me in on what you've found so far."


	19. Chapter 19: Rivals

Author's notes: Once again, thanks for the kind words. I do feel bad about taking so long to upload the next chapters, especially when I initially spoiled everyone with lightning fast updates. But here it is.

Standard disclaimers… well you know how it goes by now.

Chapter 19: Rivals

Soi Fong carefully sorted out the reports on her desk: the pile on the left for the reports on the riot that she had just consolidated for the soutaichou, and the pile on the right for the reports she routinely received. Her hand rested absently on the right pile as she tried to think of the next item on her to do list.

'_Not really much left to do, I guess.' _

She was surprised at how well she had been able to function considering the new drama she had gotten herself into. When Yoruichi left the first time all those years ago, she had fallen apart and embarrassingly enough, was forced to take a short leave, lest she be a liability on the field. This time, she had borne her mantle without fail and she doubted that anyone could tell something was bothering her, let alone something of that magnitude and nature. She should be proud of herself, except that she knew she was immaturely using her job as a distraction and an excuse.

Yesterday, Yoruichi's grandmother had called on her in hopes that she could get Yoruichi out of the clan archives. Soi Fong had, of course, realized what Yoruichi would be doing in such place given what had occurred a week ago. While she felt responsible for Yoruichi's behavior and situation, she did not think that her presence would be welcome. Moreover, she did not think that she was prepared to face Yoruichi once again. She was lucky that she had a convenient and believable excuse for not going without having to reveal their unplanned wedding. With a sincere apology, she had told the Shihouin elder that at the moment she was too busy dealing with the aftermath of the riot to speak to Yoruichi. Kagami understood that that had to come first.

It made sense that Yoruichi would try to find a way to reverse their binding. Obviously, she wanted to be free to marry whomever she wanted. Soi Fong had never heard of anyone being in that kind of relationship with the Shihouin princess before, so up to now she had always thought of Yoruichi's lost freedom in terms of a hypothetical future husband. She had to reconsider all of that as she read the last name on the senkaimon report again.

"Urahara Kisuke."

He was probably helping Yoruichi at the archives by now. And that made complete sense too, when she thought about it. They were close childhood friends and respected colleagues. Then about a century ago, Yoruichi gave up everything for him. Even if they didn't officially announce anything, they probably _were _romantically involved and Soi Fong was just too dense or was unconsciously denying it because of her own unacknowledged feelings for Yoruichi. Of course, with everything that had just happened, their involvement could no longer progress into marriage unless they found a way to fix this mess; hence Urahara's sudden appearance in Soul Society.

But what if they _didn't _fix the mess? What if they _couldn't_ because the solution to their problem did not exist?

No one else knew about the ceremony, so they could just pretend it never happened. Yoruichi and Urahara could marry officially, and they would just have to cover up the fact that he could not perform the transformation. Otherwise, getting past the complications of their both being women, they could acknowledge the impromptu ceremony and be married in name while Yoruichi keeps seeing Urahara. In both situations, it would hurt Soi Fong like hell, but she and Yoruichi could ignore their marital obligations to each other and stay friends. Then again, would the gods tolerate such infidelity? It would probably put Yoruichi's own transformation—her own position in the clan—in jeopardy.

Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, Soi Fong imagined Yoruichi and Urahara feverishly trying to find a reversal ritual so that it wouldn't have to come down to a choice between lover or family… yet again. She frowned when she pictured that Yoruichi was currently a mess, regretful that she had saved Soi Fong's life, terrified of truly and permanently being stuck in a loveless marriage if she wanted to stay with her family.

But Soi Fong loved Yoruichi, didn't she? Even if the dark-skinned woman didn't see her exactly the same way, that didn't mean that that couldn't change. In any case, it was a fact that Yoruichi did care for her, and Soi Fong was probably the person closest to Yoruichi with the possible exception of Urahara. She had dedicated her life to serving the woman and had gone so far as to risk dying for her sake. If it ever came down to it, she would love the opportunity to spend the rest of her life trying to make Yoruichi happy, even if the Shihouin woman only saw her as a friend. Given their history and current relationship, she honestly thought that she could do it too.

Soi Fong knew it wouldn't be a loveless marriage—not exactly. Yoruichi, on the other hand, probably had no idea and was worse off for it. The petite shinigami sighed in defeat when she realized that she owed it to her savior to discuss things with her. She picked up her lead feet and headed out of her office.

***

Kisuke felt a muted but familiar reiatsu tickle at his senses. He peeked out of the tiny window of the archive mezzanine that opened into the front grounds of the vast Shihouin estate and found a tiny slip of a woman slowly making her way down the dusty path, rings at the ends of her braids clinking together softly as she moved.

Kisuke didn't know what he was supposed to feel about this woman.

She never liked him—for being a lackadaisical flake, for shirking convention, for tinkering with things that had no business being tinkered with, probably most of all for insolently daring to be close to the one she revered as a goddess when he was clearly so unworthy. He supposed he couldn't really blame her. He did exude an aura that somehow turned off too many people, including his old lieutenant and his ex-research assistant. His research did end up producing the Hougyoku, which stirred up a lot of unnecessary trouble. But more relevantly, his closeness to Yoruichi was the reason the former Onmitsukidou Commander had abandoned Soi Fong.

He, on the other hand, never had anything against her in the same way that a beast is not bothered by the fly on his back. He was impressed that Soi Fong was a talented warrior and assassin, worthy of learning from the likes of Yoruichi, but in her youth and inexperience she was never a threat. She may have had special favor in his best friend's eyes, but it was never enough to overcome his own bond with his childhood friend. "You can't possibly recommend him for captaincy!" she had argued with her captain. "You shouldn't allow him to enter the Maggot's Nest!" the other guards remembered her saying. In the end, Yoruichi always dismissed her silly, amusing outbursts and believed in him instead.

He knew that Yoruichi missed her during their exile, so he was as pleased as she was when they were reunited and everything fell back into place—Soi Fong as Yoruichi's trusted and loyal follower, him as the most important person in Yoruichi's life. During the war, he was very thankful that Soi Fong had been so dedicated that she had risked her life to save Yoruichi. He, himself, had been occupied by the technical side of the war and had been forced to stand back while the woman he cared for fought in the front lines. He was also grateful that the young captain had played an important role in eliminating Aizen, and by proxy, the consequences of his own foray into the science of hollowification.

Soi Fong really was never a threat… until recently.

Obviously, the woman had achieved bankai and had risen to command the organizations that Yoruichi had left, making her a force to be reckoned with in battle as well as in the political arena. But he didn't care about that. After the war, he watched as Yoruichi and Soi Fong became closer than they had ever been… That wasn't completely correct, though. It wasn't that they were closer. It was more like they had taken the closeness of a master and subordinate and reconstructed it into the closeness between friends. In the span of months, Soi Fong's bond with Yoruichi had come to rival the one he had with the same woman… That wasn't completely correct either. In Kisuke's bitter opinion, there wasn't as strong a friendship as before to rival. Yoruichi's decision to move back into Soul Society had been the first indication of what was to come. Slowly but surely, he felt Yoruichi slip away. At first, it was an emotional and mental preoccupation with something in Soul Society. Then she came to visit less and less.

When Shihouin-sama asked him to see to his friend's odd behavior, he nearly scoffed, but the vindictive impulse was suppressed by two facts: first, he cared for the woman no matter what; secondly, Yoruichi had already given him more than he should have ever received from a friend. She didn't abandon him the way she had Soi Fong. She just reduced their interaction to what was actually typical for many people's friendships. He really was being a jackass for wanting more.

And so here he was, reading another crumbling piece of parchment.

"The Art of Transformation is granted to the Tenshi Heisouban by the grace of the gods to aid them in their task of keeping the peace and order of Soul Society."

Kisuke practically grew up within the Shihouin estate. He already knew that.

"The sacred ability is extended to spouses… blah, blah, blah… but this heritability must not to be misused."

Makes sense. He nodded impatiently.

"To prevent the passing of the ability into malicious hands, the Seal of Oblation is designed to destroy its bearer if either party's confession of love, trust, loyalty and devotion is not genuine."

Kisuke's eyes widened incredulously. His first thought was that Yoruichi really should have studied her clan text more thoroughly before she performed such a ceremony. She could have killed the person she was trying to save!

Then the second thought sank in. For Soi Fong to have survived… the confessions had to have been genuine.

Kisuke felt light-headed. He supposed that part of the reason he had difficulty accepting the change in his relationship with Yoruichi was that he couldn't understand why it was even happening. Was Yoruichi so dissatisfied with their friendship that as soon as she was given an alternative, she switched over? Reading the passages on the parchment in his hands, now he knew, and the real answer wasn't any more comforting than one he had conjured up.

It wasn't surprising that Soi Fong had fallen in love with Yoruichi. He saw that coming a mile away. But Yoruichi loving Soi Fong? When did that happen? Kisuke had correctly assumed that Yoruichi "married" her former subordinate because the cat transformation was the only solution to a life-or-death situation. He also assumed that the actual "marriage" didn't reflect any romantic love as far as Yoruichi was concerned. Otherwise, she wouldn't be trying so hard to reverse the damn thing. Boy, was he wrong. That was actually what struck him the hardest: Yoruichi, she who always took what she wanted, loved Soi Fong enough to put in the effort to let her go... on the mistaken notion that the woman didn't love her back.

It was pretty much a moot point when Kisuke saw what was written next: "If the situation ever makes it necessary, what follows is a method to reverse the Binding Ceremony that imparts the Art of Transformation to spouse of the Head of the Tenshi Heisouban." He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

So she saved her life when he couldn't. She stole her heart when he failed. She even arrived to talk to Yoruichi before he could confront the woman about his latest discovery. "And so, once again, our dear Soi Fong beats the dashing blonde scientist to the punch," he whispered to himself melodramatically, like narrator for an odd fairytale. In the same breath, he thought that his opinion of Soi Fong and this new development would require a little more contemplation than he had initially calculated.

Not having enough time to leave the archives completely before the uncertain knocks were heard on the door, the 'dashing blonde scientist' resolved to hide himself to give the two some illusion of privacy.


	20. Chapter 20: Finally

Author's notes:

And the much awaited conclusion…

Chapter 20: Finally

As exhausted as she was, Yoruichi didn't notice the approach of her special visitor until she had knocked on the door and called her name. She had recognized the voice perfectly, of course. How could she not when she heard it in her dreams and yearned to hear it when she woke up? "Soi?" she questioned all the same to acknowledge the woman's arrival and to help her gather her bearings for the unexpected meeting.

Soi Fong entered the room cautiously, first peering in then stepping carefully just inside the threshold, leaving the door open. She was keeping her distance, Yoruichi noted sadly.

"Yoruichi… may I speak to you?" The tone was neutral, at least.

"Fire away," she answered with false cheer even as she dreaded her first conversation with Soi Fong since the 'incident'.

Soi Fong bowed her head slightly, clenching and unclenching her fist nervously as she searched for the words. "I have something to say and I would appreciate it if you could just hear me out and not say anything for now." She bit her lip apprehensively and raised her eyes of liquid mercury to meet Yoruichi's golden ones, awaiting the response.

Yoruichi didn't know what to make of the request or the manner in which it was made but she nodded hesitantly.

"First of all I want to thank you for saving my life… at great personal cost." Soi Fong started off fidgeting.

"You're welcome," came the flat, automatic response. Yoruichi had to keep up the charade after all.

"Please, Yoruichi, just let me… If I don't get this out quickly, I don't think I'll… ," She swallowed hard. For some reason, the room felt a tad cold for Soi Fong and she trembled slightly. She breathed deeply and collected herself as she looked to her former superior pleadingly.

Yoruichi's schooled features softened into worry for both, the uncharacteristic vulnerability of her companion and for what her pending words might mean to their friendship.

"I know you've been looking for a way to undo the ceremony and I understand why. If that's what you want, then I wish you the best of luck." She wrapped her arms around herself protectively but kept the eye contact.

"I came here to say that… that if you can't find a way to reverse it, it'll be okay."

Yoruichi opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Wait, I'm not finished." Soi Fong's steel orbs hardened with determination.

"It'll be okay because… I love you. Not just as a friend. I love you… and I will do whatever it takes to make up for your sacrifice… even if that means pretending nothing happened in that cavern or… or..." She paused her rambling, biting her bottom lip again.

Yoruichi, for all her training in maintaining a poker face, couldn't help it when her jaw dropped. She didn't know what she expected, but this certainly wasn't it. Her heart beat wildly, her breathing grew labored and her mind shut down.

"I'll go with whatever plan you come up with but… if you give me the chance, I promise to make you happy… not because I have to or because you saved my life by binding yourself to me, but because I love you. I… uh… ," the braided woman trailed off, deciding that she had probably said enough.

Yoruichi struggled for something to say when Soi Fong quickly said, "Yeah, that's everything. I'll be in my office when… _**if**_you want to speak to me." She corrected herself at the end, for she fully believed that Yoruichi wouldn't want to. With a gust of wind, she flashed away.

"Soi… ," Yoruichi managed, but only after all traces of the shinigami disappeared.

Up in the mezzanine, the dashing blonde scientist had overheard everything. _'It's not my fault that sounds carried well in the room,'_ he internally defended his eavesdropping.

"I did say that she would love to be married to you." Kisuke called out smugly as he made his way down the stairs.

Yoruichi stared blankly out the door.

"Yoruichi?" Kisuke waved his hand in front of the woman's face when she failed to react to his teasing.

She swatted his arm away, eyes still glued to where she last saw Soi Fong, and set off in the fastest shunpo Kisuke had ever seen.

The man sighed. "I never thought I'd see the day…"

***

Soi Fong's tiny feet left light prints on the dirt path that led from the sakura grove to her office in the Second Division. To anyone outside of the Onmitsukidou, this was nothing strange, but the squad of assassins knew their captain well. The woman lived and breathed stealth; and nothing, not even a safe walk within the Seireitei could shake her out of her training to leave no tracks. If Soi Fong's footfalls were making prints at all, that was the equivalent of a trudge.

Soi Fong wondered for the fourth time since she broke out of shunpo why she had really gone to see Yoruichi. The last thing she thought before she actually grabbed her haori was that she needed to speak to her savior. Because she owed it to her. Why was that again? So she can assure her that the future is not so bleak?

"Psh, how selfless of you, Shaolin," she noted sarcastically.

After the fifth time she asked herself the same question, she had come to the conclusion that her unrehearsed speech was undoubtedly aimed at keeping Yoruichi. She wanted her to consider staying together. Well, that was certainly new. Months ago, she would have called bullshit on anyone who would have deigned to think themselves worthy of the goddess. She didn't know how things had changed to the extent that she dared to think it herself.

There was nothing for it now. She had recklessly confessed and yes, in a way, begged for her consideration. The proverbial ball was in Yoruichi's court, and to be honest, Soi Fong was not in a hurry to find out what was going to happen next.

'_Coward,'_ Soi Fong berated herself for not giving Yoruichi time to react to her confession.

***

She finally reached her office building only to find lustrous violet locks fluttering out her window. For a moment, her heart stopped, but she gathered her courage and strode shakily towards the door.

"I thought I trained you to shunpo faster than that. I've been waiting for you," Yoruichi was leaning on the wall by the window.

"I made an extra stop and I walked from there." Soi Fong answered evenly, thankful for the trivial exchange that delayed the inevitable.

Yoruichi nodded and a silence thick with tension descended upon the room.

"You didn't need to say all that so I wouldn't feel bad about trapping you."

"Yoruichi, why should you feel bad about any of this?" Soi Fong asked rhetorically, with just a hint of annoyance. "You sacrificed your freedom so that I could live. I should be thanking you."

"But it was _my_ choice to perform that ceremony. _You_, on the other hand, never chose to trapped in this marriage."

"I told you already. I love you and I don't care."

"Stop lying for my sake!" Yoruichi raised her voice. "When… When I kissed you, you pushed me back," she finished weakly.

"What?" Soi Fong stared at Yoruichi incredulously. Was the woman seriously expecting her to enjoy the kiss given the circumstances?

"You said that you love me. But if that was true, why did you push back?"

Apparently, she did—silly woman.

"If Urahara suddenly kissed you at the Maggot's Nest while you were trying to avoid drowning in a collapsed cavern, would you honestly kiss him back?" Soi Fong snapped back testily.

"What?" the accusing expression on Yoruichi's face turned confused.

Soi Fong groaned. In the aftermath of her confession, she had hoped for acceptance but primed herself for rejection. Ever unconventional, Yoruichi apparently decided on a third type of reaction, which was the denial of her confession. She couldn't even begin to comprehend why.

"Look, I meant it when I said I love you. If anyone here is trapped, it's you. I'm sorry that you might have to settle for me instead of your boyfriend or the love of your life or whatever it is that you call Urahara, but I will do what I can to make this bearable for you." Her voice was firm as she quickly laid her cards down again, none of the earlier anxiety detectable in her words. Clearly, she was getting exasperated.

Yoruichi brought her intense gaze to bear upon the petite captain. If there was one thing she learned in the months that led to this encounter, it was that Soi Fong ignored all filters and was excruciatingly honest in moments when she lost her temper. By the semi-scowl on her face, which was as bad as it got in her presence, Yoruichi could tell this was one of her moments. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

'_She was… serious about that confession? No… the world can't possibly be so perfect… '_

And yet Soi Fong had spoken of her love in no uncertain terms no less than five times in the last hour.

Finally coming to terms with the winning hand fate had dealt her, Yoruichi calmly broke the suffocating silence that had once again permeated the room.

"I'm not trapped and I _did_ marry the love of my life."

"Oh my god!" Soi Fong threw hands in the air. "You must not have been eating all this time you've been in the archives. You're delusional! You married me, Yoruichi! Me!"

"That's right." Yoruichi agreed seriously, her confidence growing. "I don't know where you got that idea about Kisuke being my boyfriend, but the one I love is you. I. Love You."

"Now who's lying to make me feel better?" The raven-haired woman muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"I kissed you in that cave," Yoruichi pointed out.

"Because it was part of the ritual." Soi Fong countered.

"I willingly bound myself to you," the older woman continued.

"To save my life!" Soi Fong was about ready to pull her hair out. Didn't Yoruichi understand how much it hurt to have that love dangled before her when she was certain that it wasn't meant for her? She would rather that her friend stopped pretending so that they knew where they currently stood and she could set out to win her heart for real.

"Alright, that's true," Yoruichi made a placating gesture and Soi Fong visibly deflated.

"But before that, I had already spent weeks contemplating how to confess. It was just so hard… and I wasn't sure you… and then…," the Shihouin tried to explain incoherently. "The situation in the Maggot's Nest just kind of… made it necessary to confess immediately."

Dropping her hand down heavily, she sighed in resignation. "Soi, I love you. I don't know how else to say it so that you would believe me."

Soi Fong looked at her former mentor with a mix of disbelief and curiosity as she realized that they had just traded places in the conversation. "You're… You're serious, aren't you?"

Yoruichi took Soi Fong's hands loosely into hers and gazed into her stormy grey eyes. "Yes."

"You… love me… and I… love you…" Soi Fong mumbled absently as her eyes focused on something far away. Her hands slipped away from Yoruichi's and pulled up her chair so she could drop into it. Yoruichi followed her movements worriedly.

"All this time… ," the Chinese woman continued to mutter.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Yoruichi whispered in her beloved's ear as she laid her hands on Soi Fong's neck and shoulder from behind her with the slightest hesitation. She was still not used to the idea that the gesture was completely welcome.

Once again, the electricity was there, where dark fingers met pale skin. It gave Yoruichi the urge to let her fingertips explore more of the creamy expanse and Soi Fong goosebumps. But it was undeniable that there was also something much less volatile and more substantial flowing between them: acceptance, comfort, understanding, and yes, the love that both of them had professed over and over.

Soi Fong held Yoruichi's right hand and leaned her head into it affectionately, blissfully awed that there were no signs of the woman pulling back. "What now?" she asked.

Yoruichi squeezed her hand gently. "I don't know… But we'll figure it out together, won't we?" It was a question but she sounded so sure that they would.

"Together… " Soi Fong smiled softly. "Yeah."

* * *

The End


End file.
